Letting Go of Hope
by Comix28
Summary: Sonic X universe. What if Sonic's landing in our world didn't go so well? Instead of meeting Chris,he wakes up to find himself captured. Instead of dealing with Eggman, he finds himself caught in a scheme that is a lot more life threatening.
1. Chapter One: Found

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic X characters they belong to Sonic Team and Sega. Thank you! However I do own all a-holes and non-recognizable characters in this fic and I'm soo proud! .....I think..  
  
Letting Go of Hope  
  
Chapter One: Found  
  
All he could remember was a booming sound of an explosion, blinding light and then a feeling of detachment almost as if he was floating. A very rare sensation had grabbed him then as he traveled within the abyss of nothingness, fear.  
  
Many things went through his mind including wondering what had happened, where he was, and if everyone he knew was okay. Now, after all those sensations all he knew was that he was surrounded by darkness and that he was lying against the hard ground. Instinctively his ears pricked as he heard noises about him. Slightly nervous he willed his body to move but it would not respond, it was not ready to respond. Noting that he would have to wait, he allowed his muscles to relax and let himself float in his semi- consciousness as he heard rough voices near  
  
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Sam did you see that? It moved its ears!"  
  
A man who seemed to be in his early thirties turned in response to his name ignoring the cell phone in his hand for the moment. His bright green eyes shined against the darkness of the night. He was tall and slim not really built but his attitude alone made him intimidating enough. Brushing back two irritating strands of hair from his face he tried to slick them back with the rest of his black greased back hair only to have them fall into his eyes again.  
  
"You mean that freaky looking thing is still alive?" He asked incredulously while pointing at a small blue heap on the road.  
  
"Yeah...what do you think it is? ....Do you think it's some kind of alien?"  
  
"Don't be stupid! It looks more like a porcupine than anything, probably mutated or something...."  
  
"But Sam! The thing fell out of the sky! If you hadn't swerved our truck out of the way in time you would have crushed him and what if he is an alien? Then we would have lost a whole opportunity to learn stuff!"  
  
"Look Derek I told you to drop the alien crap, and if it wasn't for you I would have not lost control of the damn truck and crash into the shoulder!! You know we have precious cargo in the back that's going to make us good money, what if we would have lost them huh?!?"  
  
Derek merely stared back not daring to say another word for the moment. He did not know of one thing he could say that would not result in another outburst from the man. His light brown eyes once again wondered over to the small blue creature. It was so odd looking and for an instant he felt bad for it. He wanted to help it but he knew that his partner would not allow it. A soft evening wind past rustling his silky dirty blonde shoulder length hair that was tied in a short ponytail at the base of his neck. Shivering but not from the cold air, he stepped closer to the creature staring down at it eyes scanning for bleeding or any other major injuries.  
  
"Maybe....maybe we should take it back too. It could be even more rare than the others in the back, don't you think?" he finally asked hopefully. What he really wanted to do was get the poor thing off the road. They were on a pretty desolate road that curved around a cliff but he still didn't want some other crazed driver to come along and run it over.  
  
"We don't even know if that thing is going to survive the trip and even if it does it might not have much longer. It'd be a total waste."  
  
"Well we don't know for sure now do we? Let's take a chance, once we have the money it won't really matter anyway." Derek replied evenly staring at the taller man directly in the eyes. He was at least a head shorter than Sam but was better built and would not be at a disadvantage if Sam grew tired and wished to express himself with fists instead of words.  
  
After what seemed like minutes of a stare down, Sam finally huffed and with a low growl turned to his cell phone and with a look over his shoulder before he dialed he gave a meaningful glare at Derek once more. "Fine whatever, you deal with it if there are any problems and I do mean any problems."  
  
The blonde nodded, understanding the hidden message and went to the back of their truck to retrieve a cage large enough to hold a medium sized dog. Bending down he slowly began to lift the blue creature into his arms. Needless to say he was more than shocked when it began to ever so slightly shift in his arms and attempted to open its eyes. He could also feel the elongated spikes on its back slightly stiffen and they were feeling sharper.  
  
His breath hitched as he watched it, worried that it was a lot stronger than it looked and would seek vengeance and attack not appreciating the fact that he was carrying it and trying to place it in a cage. Almost immediately however it stopped moving and slumped back almost lifelessly in his arms. With a sigh of relief he finished placing it in the cage and placed the cage in the back with the other specimens.  
  
Bleats, moos, and caws could be heard as the other specimens within the truck protested to the newcomer's intrusion or were they simply upset that another animal had been captured? Derek shushed him the best he could and the only way he knew how, by yelling at them and scaring the wits out of them.  
  
However if any other person would have seen these specimens they would have been the ones that would be scared....or at least disturbed. These weren't ordinary sheep cows and birds. They were failed clones, copies of the original that developed some type of abnormality. A lamb with six legs, a cow with two utters, and multiple birds with different ailments. Some grew wings out of their stomach, others had three legs, and one had a tail feather growing out of its head.  
  
Derek shook his head almost sadly as he stared at them all for a moment before closing the back of the truck and heading back up to the front where he saw the raven haired man was just finishing his conversation on the phone.  
  
"So ...what did they say?" he asked casually as he approached.  
  
"They said to get our asses down there already before we get caught. That's what they said. Thankfully the truck is still running, only busted a headlight."  
  
"All right then, let's go before they get even more pist off."  
  
Sam only nodded as he hopped into the driver's seat and sped off.  
  
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A young boy with brown hair and blue eyes walked up warily to the steps of his house...well mansion. He shifted his book bag and rang the doorbell. He had left his own keys in his room that morning.  
  
As he waited for someone to open the door he dreamed of his mother or father opening the door and surprising him. A small smile came on his face at the thought of it.  
  
"Good afternoon Christopher, good day at school?"  
  
"Huh? ....oh yeah it was fine Ella." the boy answered snapping out of his dreamlike state and smiling at the maid though his voice betrayed him and showed his disappointment.  
  
"Your mother called earlier she said to give you a great big hug for her." The woman replied knowing what was bothering the child and proceeded to give him said hug. However she was not a small woman and with her strength she nearly cracked his ribs.  
  
Gasping for air Christopher or Chris, as he preferred to be called, managed to untangle himself from her grip and made his way to his room. He sighed the large house always felt so empty. His mother being an actress and his father being a business chairman for a computer company, they were never home. Their jobs demanded that they'd always be on the road. He did have the maid Ella, the butler Mr. Tanaka and his grandfather with him even though they were all a bit eccentric, but it wasn't the same there was something missing. He also felt his life was very dull and he hated every aspect of that fact like any other normal twelve year old would have.  
  
He wished that something exciting would happen in his life, something to make him feel special...what he didn't know was that he would get his wish during the night. Later that day as he lay down to sleep he was unaware of a struggle a certain double tailed fox child was having up in the air.  
  
The fox child's name was Miles but he preferred his nickname, Tails that was affectionately given to him by his friends referring to his twin tail appendages. He had just arrived in Chris's world high in the sky in his plane named the Tornado.  
  
"Wha....whats going on?" he asked no one as he groggily looked about.  
  
He too had experienced the blinding light that a certain other had. Along with the feeling of detachment and then nothingness. All he could remember was that he had just been in another fight against Eggman and then that blinding light. Now he found himself flying in his airplane above a city that did not resemble Robotropolis in the least.  
  
Frowning and confused, he continued to look around hoping to see any sign of a blue blur. " I wonder where Sonic and the others---" But he didn't get to finish his thought as the Tornado suddenly began blaring warning alarms and showing signs of a malfunction. Apparently it had gotten hit in the last battle and was just now feeling its toll.  
  
Slightly panicked, Tails tried to switch it into jet mode but it would not respond and was deteriorating quickly. Realizing that he was going to crash, he looked frantically around for a safer place to do so rather than the miles of winding pavement he could see below.  
  
Finally he saw a body of water; it was small like a pool but large enough for him to land in. With a deep breath he aimed for it and slightly closed his eyes and cringing waiting for the impact.  
  
"What was that!!" Chris shouted as he sat up quickly in his bed. His room had a clear view of the pools they had and just recently a bright flash of something whizzing by reflected in his window before splashing loudly into said pool and making the pool's alarm go off.  
  
Without a second thought he was up and running down the stairs and to the pool. He was more than shocked when he saw a plane half submerged in the water of the larger pool. His eyes widened even more when on the edge of he pool he saw a large....fox? with two tails breathing heavily.  
  
' This has to be a dream...' he thought as he approached the fox, confident that he was dreaming.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked despite the belief that this was all a dream.  
  
The fox child coughed up some more water before nodding. "I...I think so."  
  
Chris jumped back slightly at the response. "You...you can talk?!?!"  
  
Tails looked at him in confusion. "Yeah I can talk, just like you can." he responded not really understanding the others reasoning.  
  
The twelve year old stared in shock till he remembered that he was dreaming and he laughed lightly. "Right this is a dream, so of course you can talk."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Just then the lights to the house came on and Chuck, Chris's grandfather stood just by the sliding doors leading to the pools. "Chris, what are you doing out here? You should be in bed, its late."  
  
"But grandpa...."  
  
"No buts, you have school tomorrow."  
  
It was then that Chris began to believe that he was no longer dreaming unless his dream had suddenly turned into a nightmare and he quickly tried to cover up the fact that there was a plane in the pool and a small fox person behind him.  
  
Tails sensed his apprehension and chose to stay out of sight and waited to see what the boy would do.  
  
"Okay Grandpa I'll be in, in a minute."  
  
His grandfather stared at him for a few minutes before nodding and heading back inside.  
  
With a sigh of relief both Chris and Tails looked at each other, ...this was going to be a long night.  
  
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The trip had been long and rough on the animals. Potholes along the way made them jump, often upsetting them and making them hit the sides of the truck or their cages hard.  
  
In a medium sized dog crate a blue creature continued to doze in unconsciousness. He had heard the conversation of the men who had found him and had decided that he did not like the sound of them. He had tried to get away when he felt one of them lift him, but the excursion had left him completely unconscious again before he could tell that he was placed in a cage.  
  
Outside Sam and Derek began to unload the large truck and were leading the animals into what would be a literal hell hole for them in the shape of a large, well hidden from major cities, warehouse while animals inside called out warnings to the newcomers to try to escape.  
  
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Heh heh I didn't know I would end up writing something like that. It was just something that popped into my head and I wanted to post it before someone else posted something similar and I would feel like I was copying or something. *shrugs*  
  
If you like then review people! Review so that I am encouraged to continue. No reviews = no encouragement = no new chapters. So if you like and want to read more, please review! Thanks. ^_^ 


	2. Chapter Two: Realization

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own any of the characters except for the ones you don't recognize as part of the Sonic universe.  
  
A/N: Hi everyone! Quick note: I wish to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who has reviewed! Your words make me smile and feel great every time I read them. You guys alone inspire me to continue writing!  
  
However having support services I have noticed that my hit count does not match my review count. (Its a major difference, I mean c'mon 20 hits, 5 reviews?) Please, I ask everyone who reads this to please leave a comment. The only reason I even post my stories is the same reason as everyone else's I think, which is not only out of pride and pleasure, but to hear the opinions of you the readers. So please won't you spare a moment after you finish reading and leave a review? Believe me it makes a big difference in the encouragement department!......Sorry enough babbling...on with the story....  
  
Letting Go of Hope  
  
Chapter Two: Realization  
  
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Not understanding why he felt so uncomfortable, the blue hedgehog started to open his eyes warily. However, they quickly snapped open upon seeing his surroundings....  
  
Three glass walls surrounded him while a look behind him revealed a steel wall behind him. As he turned his head taking this all in, he felt something heavy move on his neck. Reaching a hand up he felt a heavy metal collar fastened securely as well as an identification bracelet.  
  
"ID number 23958?" he thought out loud to himself his confusion clearly seen in his eyes.  
  
On one of the transparent walls was a paper pasted to it. He walked up to it and the paper was thin enough for him to make it out by reading backwards. What he read only confused him farther.  
  
Specimen ID number: 23958  
  
Species: Unknown  
  
Sex: Unknown  
  
Mutations: Seems to be mutated completely.  
  
Status: Not expected to survive the night.  
  
'What the hell is Eggman talking about?' he wondered as he finished reading, but he dismissed it quickly figuring that he had not read it properly.  
  
As he looked up and across from his cell, he could feel his mouth drop open in even more shock. Trapped within glass prisons of their own, were the various animals he had unknowingly traveled with. They stared at him calmly as he turned away unable to stare at them any longer.  
  
His stomach turned in disgust. 'Eggman is only getting sicker! How could he turn those innocent mobians into those.... those creatures?' He thought angrily.  
  
"Whets the matter Egghead?!? Got tired of robots?" he shouted loudly waiting for the much-anticipated response.  
  
Unfortunately, his voice sounded muffled as it bounced of the glass walls and did not produce the loudness he was hoping for. A few minutes passed and there was no response to his call whatsoever. "Fine then, if you won't come to me, then I guess I'll have to come to you!" he challenged once more.  
  
Smirking with confidence he stepped back to the very back of the cell before forming one of his strongest spindashes against the glass expecting it to break almost immediately........ it didn't and he bounced off hard, having merely left a light scratch.  
  
Dazed, he rubbed his aching head gingerly and straightened his quills. Stubborn as always he readied himself for another try until he realized that besides earning himself a lump on the head, he had also earned himself unwanted attention.  
  
A group of overlanders in white coats quickly surrounded his cell pointing and scribbling down notes in their clipboards. They seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see them. Sonic quickly came to the conclusion that his arch nemesis was not behind his capture and that he was in a whole new situation.  
  
He pounded on the thick glass impatiently wanting them to stop writing and listen to him. "Hey! Who are you guys? What are you doing? Let me out of here!" he cried out but only caused them to point in interest and continue to write. Frustrated, the blue hedgehog continued to pound incessantly and continued to call out not realizing that the glass surrounding him was sound proof as well as triple thick compared to any normal glass.  
  
"Wow did you see what it did?" An overlander outside of the cell stated.  
  
"Yes! I wonder what that was!"  
  
"It seems to wish to communicate." another observer commented.  
  
"Yes, it also appears to show anger quite clearly, very interesting indeed for it to be able to express emotions." Yet another added while pointing to the creature's frowning face and laid back ears as it pounded against its cell.  
  
"I'm personally surprised that it is alive, it didn't seem like it would survive last night when Sam and Derek brought it in."  
  
"I'm glad we paid them well for getting this specimen for us, it will prove to be most interesting indeed. Notice it looks like a porcupine or perhaps a hedgehog, but it must be mutated for it is blue and has a humanoid body."  
  
"Yes and look how comfortable it is with wearing shoes, perhaps some kids put them on it as a cruel joke."  
  
"Well clearly a lot of tests will have to be done. Now that we can see it is alive I want it to be taken in to the infirmary for blood tests." Stated what seemed to be the leader of the group.  
  
He was clearly a middle-aged man with black and gray hair. He brushed his glasses up from the end of his nose of his rigged face, his black eyes staring at the blue specimen both coldly and curiously. Something about this certain specimen made him uneasy, perhaps it was the cold glare it seemed to be giving him.  
  
Sonic had stopped pounding and yelling noticing that he was being ignored or not heard at all, finally realizing that the glass had felt pretty thick. He stood calmly instead, regarding the overlanders with a challenging stare. Whatever they were planning to do to him, he wasn't going to let them.......or so he thought.....  
  
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Birds chirped a morning's song as they sat in the trees of the woods. Other woodland creatures awoke to the morning's call but...something was different. Within in the forest were two creatures that had never walked through that particular forest before.  
  
"This is all Sonic's fault, if he had not acted so recklessly...." one of them commented angrily.  
  
"Now Knuckles, you can't say that! You know Sonic was only trying to help!"  
  
Knuckles the red echidna turned to the pink hedgehog with a frown. "Yeah? Well he just helped Eggman! Eggman must have used the chaos emeralds and now we are who knows where or when! I know you're a big fan Amy, but open your eyes!"  
  
Amy puffed her cheeks out in frustration. "I'm sure it was an accident! You should have more faith in Sonic, after all he's your friend!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever..."  
  
"Do you think.....that the others came here too? We should be able to find them right?"  
  
Just as the echidna was about to respond, both he and his companion stopped in amazement. Apparently they had reached the end of the woods and were now at the edge of a highway. Both watched almost mesmerized as the many cars zoomed by and on the other side they could make out the outline of a city.  
  
"H-how are we going to get across?" Amy inquired watching the cars fearfully.  
  
"Hn." Knuckles seemed to study the situation for a moment and before she could blink, he had lifted her up into his arms and dashed quickly across the four-lane highway, jumping on the hoods of the cars. He was no were nearly as fast as Sonic but his own speed was still impressive and they made it safely. Of course ....Amy had been screaming the entire time.  
  
As they landed, she was still clutching on tightly to the echidna's neck, her eyes wide open in shock and left over fear. She quickly found her voice however and made sure she used it fully. "Knuckles!! You are crazy! Never ever do something like that with me again! You can go and get yourself killed but leave me out of it!"  
  
Knuckles merely shrugged his shoulders as he put her down and with a smirk he commented, " You lived didn't you?" and with that he continued to walk down the street of the town square they had just entered.  
  
Amy stomped her feet in frustration as she quickly took off after him asking the powers above why she had been cursed to land in this new world with the temperamental echidna and not her hero Sonic.  
  
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On the other side of the same town square, a certain mansion had just started to get the sun's rays. By a large pool a child and fox child leaned against each other in pure exhaustion. Neither had slept at all throughout the entire night getting the fallen plane out of the pool. Fortunately it had not yet sunk and Tails had been able to get back in and keep the plane hovering slightly as Chris pulled with a well-placed rope since the plane could hover, but not move forward.  
  
Somehow they managed to accomplish the great task only a few minutes before the sun had decided to make an appearance. During the many breaks they had taken, both had learned much about each other. Chris now knew all about Mobius, the chaos emeralds, and the evil Eggman as Tails had learned about Earth and its rules.  
  
Now, having hidden the plane in the large garage, the two were very wary and desperately longed for rest. As they headed towards Chris's bedroom, a thought came to his mind. "Hey Tails? You know those friends you told me about? Do you think that they are here too?"  
  
"I hope so, I told you about the chaos emeralds, if they sent me here they must have sent the others too."  
  
"I see, well we should go look for them!"  
  
"Won't that be kind of hard though? This is a really big place!"  
  
"Don't worry I'll help you!"  
  
The twin-tailed fox gave him a tired smile. "Thanks Chris, that would be great!" he commented enthusiastically before he covered his mouth politely to cover a large yawn.  
  
Chris laughed slightly and nodded, yawning himself. "Yeah, I think we should catch some Z's first too."  
  
Within in minutes of them lying down and quickly falling asleep, a loud blaring noise went off from a nearby clock, the alarm. With a groan the twelve year old boy groggily turned it off. "Great, I forgot about school today."  
  
Tails hardly had his eyes open as he opened his mouth to respond, when a loud knocking sound on the room's floor door sounded. "Christopher!! I know you are awake, get up and ready for school young man!"  
  
The young boy groaned once more also having forgotten that Ella did this everyday knowing of his habit of turning the alarm off and going back to sleep. As much as he hated dishonesty, he felt he had no choice. "But Ella I don't feel so good!" he called out making his voice as pitiful as possible. He then quickly motioned to Tails to stay out of sight.  
  
Sure enough the maid quickly made an appearance instantly by his side. "Oh really now? What's wrong?" she asked while placing a hand on his forehead.  
  
"My throat, head, and stomach hurt."  
  
"Well....you don't have a fever..." the maid added suspiciously.  
  
"Really Ella, I feel awful."  
  
"Hm. You never try to get out of school so I'll let it slide, stay in bed and I'll go make you some soup."  
  
Chris nodded and as soon as she left he slipped back into the covers of his warm bed. "Don't worry Tails as soon as we get up later we'll go out and look for your friends."  
  
Tails merely nodded and grunted a response as he quickly fell back asleep as well, making sure he was well hidden.  
  
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Sonic watched as the group of overlanders seemed to disperse but he did not allow himself to relax, his body was still on high alert. Apparently they had been given some orders by the one overlander he already did not like. He did not like the way he looked or the way he had looked at him. As he tried to keep track of where they all moved, some disappeared from his vision making him slightly nervous.  
  
Suddenly his ears perked as heard the sound of metal scraping. Quickly looking behind him he saw the metal wall of the cell slowly rising. He smirked....just a little higher and.....ah ha! It was open enough for him to dash through and he made sure he did.  
  
As he whizzed by he heard many shouts of the unprepared overlanders and he merely smirked to himself once more. No way were they going to catch him! Not now that he was loose. He quickly ran around the front of his cell and past where he was sure he had seen a door. He quickly reached it and almost panicked when he saw that it had no handle. Instead it had a special lock that one had to both enter a code and slide a card.  
  
Not willing to give up, he dashed around the entire room in a manner of seconds being able to find another door only to realize that it was locked the same way. "Well, if I can't escape than I'll have to fight my way out." he concluded with a frown.  
  
Within the next few seconds the overlanders appeared once more some of them with some funny looking guns. "Quickly! Catch it! Shoot it if you have to!"  
  
Sonic frowned. "So you guys want to get nasty do you?" he asked cockily as he watched them all drop their mouths in amazement at the fact that he could speak. "Let me out of here before you make me have to hurt you!"  
  
The multiple overlanders were still in an obvious state of shock but the ones with guns merely cocked them confidently and started to shoot.  
  
The speedy blue hedgehog simply formed a spindash aimed at all of them. Some quickly scattered and some were forced to the floor by the mere force of the wind he caused as he past. Others continued to shoot and were amazed as the paralyzing darts were simply flung back at them, making them quickly duck out of harm's way.  
  
The same process continued for what seemed like frustrating hours when it had only been minutes. Sonic finally stopped at one point from his perch on a metal table and he raised a brow at them. "Give up already! You can't catch me!"  
  
However for once his cockiness was the cause of his downfall. As he had stopped one of the shooters had gotten a good aim on one of his legs and just as he was about to form yet another spindash, the trigger was quickly pulled and the dart made it's mark.  
  
As the hedgehog skid across the floor, the others waited apprehensively. Sonic quickly tried to recover and get up quickly, but the paralyzing dart had worked its magic quickly and one of his legs would not respond, it was completely numb. He managed to stand but almost immediately was shot in the other leg, the person having feared that he had not been impaired at all and he fell to the floor hard. A chorus of cheers was heard at that exact moment and for the second time since the day before he felt true fear. After all they had been able to complete his most feared nightmare, the ability to take away his speed.  
  
He fought futilely as they came and lifted him onto a metal table rolling it into a white room that smelled strongly of chemicals. "Let me go! What is wrong with you sickos?" he shouted angrily as he fought against the restraints and continued to insult them. For all his effort all he earned was a tranquilizing dart in his shoulder knocking him out almost immediately.  
  
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Unknown to any of the furries the main reason they had been transported was sitting in a tower laughing insanely.  
  
"Yes this world will be a grand addition to the Eggman Empire." The obese man laughed as he then turned his attention to a little one he had already held captive when the whole thing started.  
  
"And you my dear will be a great lure if that horrible hedgehog did survive!"  
  
In a cage of her own a young bunnie began to cry as she held a chao close to her heart. She hoped that none of her friends were on this planet and if anyone was, that it would be the blue blur so that he could come and save her.  
  
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A/N: Well there ya go. Hope you liked and remember, please review!! I'd love to hear from you. ^_^ 


	3. Chapter Three: Save Cream!

Disclaimer: ...Must I really repeat myself by now?...Don't own them except the jerks, thankies!  
  
No, even though my hit count still does not match my review count, I'm not going to give another speech this time, but I do think that those of you who listened and reviewed do deserve a shout out so here it goes:  
  
Yersi Fanel: Thank you very much for your encouragement, (ps. you make Shadow really cute, he's one of my faves too! ^_^)  
  
Windfield: I have no idea, lol. I never understand this rating stuff, but I changed it, and thank you!  
  
H.M. Slayne: That was one of the best compliments I could have ever gotten, thank you so much.  
  
MartialArtsMaster: Eh....that won't happen for a while I'm afraid.  
  
Beanie: Hehe.....the Archie lingo shall never leave my mouth. So to everyone else, yes these are Archie terms but I don't think it really makes a dent in the story. And thank you!  
  
Suzaku no miko: I'm glad you like it and thank you for being so kind to review!  
  
Emi: I'm glad you like it as well!  
  
Anyway I just felt I had to do that out of appreciation, thank you all so much again! Heres the story:  
  
Letting Go of Hope  
  
Chapter Three: Save Cream!  
  
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Last time:  
  
Unknown to any of the furries the main reason they had been transported was sitting in a tower laughing insanely.  
  
"Yes this world will be a grand addition to the Eggman Empire." The obese man laughed as he then turned his attention to a little one he had already held captive when the whole thing started.  
  
"And you my dear will be a great lure if that horrible hedgehog did survive!"  
  
In a cage of her own a young bunny began to cry as she held a chao close to her heart. She hoped that none of her friends were on this planet and if anyone was that it would be the blue blur so that he could come and save her.  
  
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"Oh cheese, do you think we will ever get out of here?" the same young bunny inquired of her chao friend.  
  
Cheese, not having the ability to speak full words, squeaked encouragingly while hugging her. Cream smiled and hugged the chao close to her heart.  
  
"Oh how very touching." a voice sneered making Cream cringe in fear.  
  
"Master Eggman sir, we have created a deck of your finest robots." a random robot minion announced while offering a deck of cards to the evil man.  
  
"Good. Now to see which one of my masterpieces will help me start my empire. Ohohohohohoho!" (A/N: Is it just me or is his laugh really gay?)  
  
Placing the deck of available robots in a card shuffling machine, he waited patiently until it chose a robot for him. "Ah, the metal pounder!" The obese man exclaimed happily as the screen showed a large robot with two mallets for arms."Perfect!" (A/N: I know it doesn't exist bare with me, I can't keep track of all his robots ^_^)  
  
Smiling, Eggman pushed a button releasing the metal menace onto the city. Cream watched worriedly from her entrapment and hugged Cheese even tighter. As the evil mechanical genius prepared to enter his hovercraft, he commanded another of his robotic minions to carry Cream and Cheese over to him. When he had them firmly within his grip and the hover craft was miles in the air following the metal pounder, he laughed victoriously. "Ohohohohoho! Now we will have some fun!"  
  
Cream did not struggle from fear of falling and tears sprung in her eyes as she looked down and saw the destruction the robot was creating.  
  
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"Where are we going?!?" a voice whined, it's owner tired and hungry after traveling for so long.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm trying to find our way back home! Meaning the chaos emeralds. Chaos control was used to get us here and it can take us back; the emeralds have to be here somewhere."  
  
"Oh,... right! But, aren't you tired? We've been walking all day!"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Knuckles! Can't we at least stop and get something to eat? I'm starving!" Amy whined as they continued to walk through the alleyways of the busy city.  
  
"Again? ...Whatever....you can go and find something to eat if you want, I'm not hungry." he replied simply as he kept walking.  
  
The pink hedgehog's cheeks puffed out in frustration once more like many other times during their travel. They had arrived at one end of the city and were now in the heart of it. "Well don't you think we should stick together? I am going to help look for the emeralds you know!"  
  
"Look, I'm not going to go through that again!" the echidna exclaimed roughly referring to an incident that had happened earlier in the day.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
The enticing smell of food from a nearby food vendor made its way to a certain pink hedgehog's sensitive nose, making her stomach growl as she walked silently behind her red companion.  
  
"I'm hungry." she announced firmly.  
  
"So?" was the emotionless reply.  
  
"So, I want to stop and get something to eat!" she added with anger.  
  
"Then go ahead, I'm not stopping you."  
  
"Come with me!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want to be alone in this strange world full of overlanders."  
  
Knuckles sighed and grudgingly complied as he followed her. She boldly made her way up to the food vendor.  
  
"Excuse me sir, but can I please get two hot dogs?" she asked sweetly, but never expected the response she received.  
  
"Ahhh!! What are you!?!?!?!?!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
A nearby woman who was passing by screamed at the sight of them as well. "Aeeeeeee! Mutated rats!!!" she screamed.  
  
Knuckles and Amy both jumped in surprise at the accusation. "Hey!! We are not mutated rats!" Amy exclaimed.  
  
"Aeeeeee! They talk!" the same woman screamed.  
  
The food vendor frowned. "I don't know what you are, you freaks! But get out of here I don't want you near me!" He then brandished a broom and made sweeping motions at them, but never touched them as Knuckles, who had a short temper as it was, smacked it away causing it to snap.  
  
The food vendor then attempted to kick them and Knuckles was ready to fight back, but Amy had quickly ran dragging him behind her into an alleyway where they decided they would stay in to avoid further confrontations.  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
"So then what am I supposed to do? Starve? I still haven't eaten anything and there aren't even any trees around to pick fruit from!"  
  
"All right already! I'll see what I can do, if it will shut you up!"  
  
"Thank you Knuckles!!" Amy responded giving him a sweet smile.  
  
Knuckles rolled his eyes and sighed as he spied another different food vendor around the corner. The vendor had a customer who had ordered two hot dogs and a bottle of water. The echidna smirked, it was perfect.  
  
He waited for the perfect time to make his move, and then it came. The vendor had left the items on top of the countertop of his cart while the customer waited patiently for his change. Using his speed, Knuckles ran over, jumped onto the cart grabbing the food, and jumped off, ducking into another alley quickly. It had all been done so quickly that he had just seemed like a quick red blur to both the vendor and customer leaving them to scratch their heads both being quite confused.  
  
Amy perked as soon as Knuckles arrived with both hot dogs and the bottled water. "Thank you Knuckles!" she exclaimed happily once more as she took the hot dog out of his grasp.  
  
The echidna shrugged implying that it was no big deal and began to eat his own hot dog.  
  
Amy smirked. "I thought you weren't hungry."  
  
"Hn." he replied but gave her a slight smirk.  
  
Her eyes sparkled victoriously. "Ha! And I bet you're dead tired too, aren't you?" she coaxed.  
  
The red echidna frowned slightly and was about to respond when the sound of a large explosion caught both their attention. "What was that!?!?" they both exclaimed at the same time as they saw the ominous cloud of smoke in the air.  
  
"Let's go check it out!" Amy yelled stuffing the last of her hot dog in her mouth before running in the direction of the commotion through the alleyways dragging a reluctant echidna behind her.  
  
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The sound of metal banging against metal echoed within the large garage as two tails protruding from underneath a blue plane twitched every so often.  
  
"Is there anything I can help you with Tails?" a young male voice inquired.  
  
"No thanks, its okay. I'm almost done."  
  
"Thats great! Then we can go look for your friends!"  
  
"Uh-huh....uh Chris?....Shouldn't you be in your room? What if Ella comes to check on you?"  
  
"Don't worry, she went out to the market and won't be back for a while. I'm more worried about someone seeing you."  
  
"What.....what would happen if others found out about me?" the fox child asked innocently.  
  
"Well I can't say for sure, but there is more of a chance of it not being pretty."  
  
"I see....."  
  
Neither boy spoke for the remainder of the time until at last the plane burst to life with a bang and then hummed gently. Tails smiled victoriously and gave Chris a thumbs up as he hopped into the pilot's seat.  
  
Grabbing a helmet, the other boy was about to climb in as well when they were interrupted.  
  
"Chris? What was that noise?...Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Called out an elderly male voice as Chris's grandfather made an appearance within the garage. "What are you......oh my."  
  
Both Tails and Chris were frozen in place. Chris's grandfather's eyes widened in shock at both the sight of Tails and the plane.  
  
"Uh, ...Grandpa....you see..." The twelve year old boy began awkwardly knowing that a lot of explaining was required at the moment.  
  
Being a bit eccentric and thirsty for adventure himself, his grandfather was happy to have found out about their secret and was eager to help. Also being a bit of a mechanical genius, he was quite impressed with Tails' knowledge and abilities. "Okay Chris...I'll help keep it a secret, but isn't there something else I can do to help?"  
  
"Yes grandpa, make up an excuse for me to tell Ella? Please?"  
  
"Sure I will! I'll be waiting for you to come....Wha?"  
  
He had been suddenly cut off by the sound of the same explosion a certain echidna and hedgehog had heard. Seeing the smoke in the distance the older man grew concerned, but also a bit excited. "Well now, that might have to do with those friends of yours Tails, I think you both should go check it out!...But....be careful. Stay in touch with me with these." he instructed handing them both high tech walkie talkies.  
  
"Sure thing grandpa!...Bye!" Chris exclaimed finally jumping into the plane as it started to accelerate.  
  
"Bye grandpa!" Tails chirped with a wave before maneuvering the Tornado into the sky and into the direction of the cloud of smoke.  
  
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Various citizens screamed and ran for their lives, literally. Behind them a large robot with metal mallets for arms continued its destruction on parked cars, pounding them incessantly causing several explosions, but it remained unscathed. It then proceeded to punch into the walls of buildings, crushing bricks and glass. Upon it's master's orders, it would smash through any designated building or establishment. Of course what this created was pure chaos.  
  
"I demand that you hand this city over to me now or be prepared to have it demolished before your very eyes!" An odd looking obese man hollered menacingly to the many police men surrounding the metal pounder. He was in his hovercraft a few feet behind the robot as he waited for their response.  
  
Needless to say, the police did not give in and began to shoot futilely at the metal menace hoping to stop it, but unfortunately they could not. The bullets were not even leaving a mark.  
  
Knuckles and Amy arrived just in time to see them fighting and once they saw who it was they were fighting, Knuckles let out a low growl. "Eggman. That maniac got sent here too, that's just great."  
  
Amy was about to respond as she started to take out piko piko when she heard someone yelling her name from up above. "Huh?" she questioned looking around until her eyes settled on a small bunny waving at her frantically from beside Eggman. "Oh no! Knuckles he has Cream and I bet he has Cheese too! We have to help them!  
  
"Fine. but we should come up with a plan so that we.....Amy?"  
  
But Amy was already running ahead piko piko raised menacingly before she brought it down with rage against the metal pounder.  
  
Knuckles sighed as he ran to catch up with her before something happened and she got seriously hurt. "Amy we have to..."  
  
"Knuckles! Get Cream! I'll be fine!" she yelled as she continued to smack the foot of the large robot with the huge hammer.  
  
Against his better judgment, the echidna nodded and went to help the little girl caught in the grasp of the evil man. Jumping to the top of the metal pounder, he gave a mighty jump and started to glide the rest of the way to the hovercraft.  
  
"I don't think so Knucklehead!" Eggman yelled noticing his plan and quickly commanding the metal pounder to attack the red echidna.  
  
Knuckles merely dodged the punch that the machine threw and landed on its arm to give himself another push off before once again gliding towards the hovercraft and this time actually making it before Eggman had another chance to give a command. He quickly scooped up Cream and Cheese in his arms before punching a sputtering Eggman squarely in the face and gliding off to the ground.  
  
"Kill those infuriating creatures!!" Eggman yelled quite upset as he recovered.  
  
The metal pounder suddenly kicked at Amy who had still been hitting it with her hammer sending her flying a few feet and went on a wild rampage. It pounded at the concrete repeatedly, trying to hit the hedgehog, bunny, chao and echidna that effectively dodged every time. When given the chance both Amy and Knuckles would hit it, but it seemed impenetrable and as if it had no weak spot.  
  
After what seemed like hours, they grew exhausted and were wearing out. As all hope seemed lost they heard a very familiar sound in the air. Amy looked up with eyes clouded over from exhaustion when she suddenly squealed with delight. "I knew it! It is the Tornado!! Tails!! Tails, we're done here!" she yelled happily while waving wildly before having to dodge another potentially fatal blow.  
  
There was no response from the plane until it suddenly started shooting small missiles at the robot. At first it seemed that it too would not have any success, but suddenly the chest of the menace began to cave in. "There, the chest! That's its weak point!" Tails shouted down to Knuckles who quickly got the hint.  
  
With a well placed jump, he aimed directly for the chest putting all his force behind this one punch. .....that did it. The result was that the metal pounder finally exploded sending the echidna flying, but amazingly unharmed.  
  
The deranged man in the hover craft did not like this at all. "Curse you all! I can't believe you survived!" He suddenly smirked realizing something very important. "Heh, well I guess my consolation is that, that blasted hedgehog didn't seem to survive! Haha I'm finally free of his curse! And don't you worry I will be back to finish the rest of you off as well!" With that, he took off quickly leaving them all giving him a dirty look.  
  
Tails had just landed and was making his way other to the others with a young boy they had never seen before following him, when he had heard what Eggman had said. No one said anything as they looked at each other but they were each thinking the same thing.......Where was Sonic?  
  
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A young woman fiddled in an infirmary nervously. She was a veterinarian fresh out of college and today was her first day on the job. Pushing an annoying lock of her honey brown hair out of her aqua colored eyes, she continued to study the results of a blood test that she had been instructed to read. She loved animals greatly and was quite intrigued at all the different animals that were being kept in this establishment but, they were so rare and different that she was afraid to do something wrong.  
  
"We have your first assignment here Jade." The voice of the man who had hired her announced as he strolled in. A team of scientists were behind him pushing a metal examination table.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Cameron?" She asked the head research scientist politely eager to prove herself.  
  
"Jade, I'm about to show you a special case here. I want you to be very careful with it and conduct all the tests that I have written down on this piece of paper."  
  
Taking the paper from him, she frowned at the extensive tests that were to be done. "Just how special is this case, if I may ask sir?"  
  
"Take a look for yourself."  
  
The other scientists moved away letting her have a better view of the metal table and when she saw the blue creature on it she gasped. This was no after effect of cloning this was....this was something else entirely.  
  
"I want him back in his cell by five o clock. Is that understood?"  
  
Jade nodded numbly as she continued to stare at the creature. Only one thought ran through her mind as the others left her alone to her work. 'What in the world have I gotten myself into?'  
  
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A/N: Wow a whole chapter and no Sonic what so ever.....eh heh. Sorry! I just wanted to get the others to meet. No worries though he will definitely be in the next chapter and he will be um.....conscious. o_0  
  
I apologize for the long wait, I blame college and all the exams I had to study for. Anyway I hope you liked and please review!  
  



	4. Chapter Four: Observation

Disclaimer: I own no one in this fic except those who are not recognized as being in the Sonic universe. Sue me and you shall partake in my vast amount of lint.  
  
A/n: To anyone who cares and has been waiting for me to update.I am soooo sorry! I know I took a really long time to update this but it's not my fault.You see I have a very crappy computer that doesn't even have Microsoft word so I have to wait to use my computers at school to use Microsoft word and proof read and all that junk. And college has been a little hectic lately but I promise to try and update quicker though.really!  
  
Once again thank you very much to all those wonderful people who review!  
  
Letting Go of Hope  
  
Chapter Four: Observation  
  
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Dizziness, nausea, and a skull-crushing headache. Yes, this was definitely what a certain blue hedgehog was feeling as he awoke. "Ugnh, ...Man, I'm really starting to hate these unwanted naps." He muttered to himself as his eyes adjusted and revealed that he was once again within his glass prison.  
  
Lifting an arm to massage his aching head, his eyes spotted something making them widen in response. Patches of his tan fur on his arm was missing, his soft pink flesh quivering in its exposure.  
  
"What were those weirdoes doing to me?"  
  
Upon further examination of himself he found other patches of his fur missing, enraging him. He had never considered himself vain, but he had always liked the way he looked and now he was sure he looked like a total mess. Worriedly he reached back to feel his quills and let out a breath of relief when he still felt them being there in their entirety.  
  
Suddenly remembering the paralyzing darts, he eyed his legs warily and attempted to move them. They burned and tingled, the same sensation one would get when your foot merely fell asleep and his had been sleeping......an unnatural sleep but a sleep nonetheless. He smiled happily at the thought of being able to use his legs again and immediately stood up...only to quickly sit back down. Another wave of dizziness had hit him and hit him hard.  
  
' What the heck do they have me on?' He thought as he waited for everything to stop spinning.  
  
Apparently someone noticed his movement and the fact that he was awake and were pointing at him again.... wonderful. He decided to stay put he was neither in the condition or mood to attempt to escape again. A scraping noise caught his attention and he immediately turned to look to see if it was the same steel wall. Surprisingly it wasn't, instead a small rectangular metal panel he had not noticed before was lifting and he stared at it with great curiosity.  
  
As soon as the panel was opened completely a metal hanging tray was shoved through containing two bowls, one with water and the other full of odd looking brown pellets. Sonic raised a brow at this not understanding at first. One glance across to the other animals showed them eating greedily from the same arrangement.  
  
'You got to be kidding me...'  
  
The wave of dizziness finally over, he stood and went over to inspect his so-called meal. It was even more repulsive looking up close and he absolutely refused to dig his face in like the others were doing. Unfortunately it was then that his stomach chose to clench painfully reminding him that he had not eaten anything in close to three days. Hunger alone controlling him and contrary to his better judgment, he took one of the pellets and popped it into his mouth...only to almost immediately spit it out.  
  
"Ugh, now that's just nasty!" He shouted out at the humans who were studying him outside his cell with pads of paper and pens forgetting that his cell was soundproof. He cupped his hands and dipped them into the water desperately wanting to rinse his mouth of the horrible fishy taste of whatever it was that he had just eaten. His already uneasy stomach now felt worst and he left the horrible thing they dared to call food and sat on the floor once more he'd rather starve than eat it that junk. It was now more than ever that he really wished he could have a chili dog or at least...something he recognized as food.  
  
He watched through dull eyes at the more attention he was getting. People were surrounding his cell once more the same ones he had tried to outsmart and outrun. But they had stopped him so quickly.... so easily. He tried his best to ignore them, turning his back to them, his quills slightly bristling. Instead of discouraging them however, this seemed to intrigue them greatly and they stayed much to his dismay.  
  
His eyes wondered over to the same piece of paper he had seen the first time he had awakened in this place, and read it once again. He felt his eyes widen for the second time that day as he saw the major changes made.  
  
Specimen ID number: 23958  
  
Species: DNA shows properties of a hedgehog  
  
Sex: Male  
  
Mutations: Definitely completely mutated.  
  
Status: Healthy. Extremely fast and has special abilities.  
  
Sonic felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment he had never felt so violated as when he saw the major difference in them not knowing what sex he was. He also frowned at the fact that they had failed to mention the tiny little fact that he had the ability to speak. Were they really going to over look that part?  
  
He finally turned and banged on the glass ignoring the thickness of it knowing that he already had their attention anyway. "I can talk you know!!" he mouthed at them eyes burning with fire.  
  
"Sir, it looks like he is mouthing something, do you think we have been wrong and he really does have the ability to speak?"  
  
He was there again, the one overlander that Sonic had disliked from the beginning, the leader. "No, I explained to you all yesterday when we recaptured him. What we heard was things he probably picked up from other people and was mimicking. Do you really expect a mere animal to have the ability to speak? He is probably mimicking once more."  
  
"Yes Dr. Cameron sir, you are perfectly right, sorry sir."  
  
"That's quite all right; I want you all to keep observing him. He is obviously the most mysterious to us all and we need to find out everything we can about him. "  
  
"Yes sir!" chorused the remaining scientists.  
  
"Good I'm glad that this is understood, now is there anything to report today so far?"  
  
"Well sir, he seems more sluggish today than yesterday and he refuses to eat."  
  
"He doesn't want to eat? But I thought one of you told me that hedgehogs loved cat food."  
  
"Normal hedgehogs, yes, but sir obviously this is a special case."  
  
"Well this isn't a five-star restaurant. He will just have to get used to it or starve."  
  
"Do we really want to risk losing him?"  
  
"Of course not, that is not what I mean. Of course we wouldn't let him starve in fact, if he starts to show any signs of illness we will have Jade treat him. She did an excellent job with the tests yesterday I'm sure she will be able to handle anything else."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Hours passed and as they disappeared so did a bit of Sonic's sanity. He was sure he was losing it. He had always been a free spirit, never staying in one place for too long unless it was for a nap. He never thought about it before, but he was sure he had never been claustrophobic, but now, now the transparent walls seemed to be closing in on him cutting off his room to move as he sat bored. He needed to move, he needed to stretch his legs, he needed to...be back home. An unexpected wave of homesickness hit him. He missed the crisp cool fresh air and the open land that he could run across freely. But most of all he missed his friends.  
  
"You guys better be okay..." He spoke to the thin air before him. "Great, now I'm talking to myself. Now I know for sure I'm losing it."  
  
Smiling to himself, the blue hedgehog imagined what witty comebacks his friends would have to a statement like that.  
  
A few hours even later, Sonic wanted scream with frustration. By now he knew for sure that the concrete floor of his cell had over two million notches and holes. He also knew that within the entire herd of what he considered were odd looking cows in cells across from his, that there were over one thousand spots. He had raced around in his cell over five hundred times and now he had nothing left to count or entertain himself with and that was the worst part.  
  
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As Sonic desperately looked for any means necessary to entertain himself with until he could come up with a plan for escape, a young veterinarian was busy in the infirmary once more. The events of the day before haunted her mind.  
  
The creature she had examined was not an ordinary one that was for sure. She was told to be prepared that none of the animals she would be dealing with were going to be normal, but she never expected to find something so...eccentric and unique. She felt uneasy about the various exams she had preformed on it. She hoped none of them had any dire consequences; after all she was a doctor and did not want to torture the poor thing.  
  
She was also fascinated about it, she had learned so much about it but like the others her mind was thirsty for more knowledge. What fascinated her the most was the fact that it was so humanoid looking. This led her to wonder if it could reason and think like a human being as well and that if it really did have the ability to speak and not just mimic the way Dr. Cameron insisted.  
  
However she also wished that top research scientist was correct, because if he wasn't and the creature was just like a human being, then they were for sure torturing it. She knew she would hate to be in its position. Then again she tried to reason with her boss' point of view. If this creature had been contaminated by something and then mutated, it was a good thing that they were keeping it under observation to learn all they could about it and possibly prevent it from affecting anything else.  
  
She was obviously confused on the whole matter and seriously hoped that things would be cleared up soon. She shook her head hoping to clear her mind as she set out to give all the animals their daily shot of vitamins.  
  
Jade purposely started on a cell next to the creature she had found out to be a hedgehog through his DNA. She wanted to check on him since he had slept straight through an entire day, having been out since she preformed the exams until the next morning. She felt her heartbreak as she saw him sitting huddled in a corner of his cell. His eyes haunted her as he acknowledged her being there and emerald orbs burned into her own eyes as he stared at her calmly.  
  
She hesitantly placed a hand against the glass, merely curious as to what he would do. She couldn't believe her eyes as his look visibly darkened and he turned his back on her once more. She didn't know if she had been seeing things, but he had just given her an attitude! Now her curiosity was up to it's peak and she found that for a while she could not move as she stared at his back.  
  
It was then that her aqua colored eyes happened to glance at something that made her frown. His food dish was completely full. Did the others not notice this? Why had they not done anything? The poor thing still had to eat......  
  
She finished what she had to do with the other animals and then went to inquire just indeed what was going on. The young woman had no fear about dealing with this creature and therefore had no problem with actually entering his cell to check on him.........unfortunately the guards guarding the steel wall to his cell did. They looked up at her expectantly as she approached.  
  
"What is it that you want?" One asked rudely as he eyed her warily. He knew fully well that she was the new veterinarian but the top scientist had given specific orders on being extra careful about this special case.  
  
Jade frowned at the unbound rudeness but kept her professionalism. "I'm sorry but why do you question me so harshly? Surely you know I am the animal's doctor here and I have simply come to check in on him."  
  
"I'm sorry but Dr. Cameron has not informed us of such a visit." The other guard provided a little more politely.  
  
Blowing a lock of her honey brown hair out of her eyes in frustration she tried once more. " Yes but he has not eaten anything all day and I must check that he is not ill."  
  
The two guards looked at each other nervously. Surely if something happened to the creature within and it was discovered that they had not let the veterinarian in to prevent such a disaster they would surely lose their jobs. However if she was just simply curious to interact with him as so many others were and the creature escaped once more, they would still lose their jobs for not being more attentive.  
  
The first guard finally frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry but we can't let you in until you have official authorization."  
  
Frowning the young doctor walked away without another word and walked once more to the front of the cell to make sure that the hedgehog was all right. What she saw surprised her greatly, he was holding the bowl of pellets but was he eating them? No. He was merely writing a single word with them on the floor of his cell. He was making the word large and clearly visible, stating his opinion of the junk they wanted him to eat, summing up his feelings into this one word...'Yuck!'  
  
Jade smiled and vowed that she would help solve his problem by the end of the day.  
  
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Sonic worked diligently at creating the word out of the pellets. He had been bored out of his skull when it occurred to him that he could show his intelligence by doing this. Maybe then.... maybe then they would realize that he wasn't something you kept in a zoo.  
  
Through the corner of his eye he saw the only female overlander, or human as he had heard them call themselves, in the whole facility watching him.... good. Hopefully she would spread the word to the others and then they would see that he was on the same level of intelligence as them, he was not some primitive creature like the others surrounding him in their own cells.  
  
His pellets ran out as he finished making his almighty word.... yuck. Yes, that would do it would show that he was literate and that he had an opinion. What more proof would they need? However a feeling in his gut told him that this would not be enough and he knew he would have to plan ways of escape.  
  
Thinking of his friends earlier had made him determined to get out, he needed to see that his friends were okay, if he was going through this, who knew what horrors they were going through?  
  
Night finally fell and the facility was shut down as light from the stars and the moon shone through the windows giving the room an eerie illumination. Sonic was huddled once more in his corner, however instead of plotting ideas, his eyes were drooping as he was giving into the sleep his body suddenly wanted.  
  
The feeling of detachment from his body and sweet caress of nothingness that was sleep was interrupted however, when his keen ears perked having heard the all too familiar scrapping noise. He sat up, his body alert but his mind was groggy, hunger and desperation through out the day had taken its toll and worn him out. He stared out through the darkness at the steel wall that was rising once more. 'Now! Now!' his body yelled at him urging him to make the mad dash now. But as his mind finally registered what his body was telling him to do, the steel wall had already closed. He cursed himself mentally and was about to yell at whoever had come to disturb him now, when he smelled the wonderful smell of food...real food. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled his cell making him almost salivate.  
  
As the smell grew stronger, a shadowed figure made its way deeper into the cell, closer to him. The eerie lighting shone on her face, it was the same human he had seen earlier. She smiled brightly at him and kneeled down to his level holding the bread out to him. "Hi there, I'm Jade."  
  
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A/N: Well sorry again for the long delay! I hope you guys liked this chapter. ^______^  
  



	5. Chapter Five: Thinking of You

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. *wink* 0_^  
  
A/N: *cringes in fear of all the yelling* Umm. Hi I'm back? Hehe. So sorry. I really couldn't help it in preventing this story from being updated so late. I had a long agonizing bout of writer's block. Blame my muse.   
  
My muse: (named Blaze.): Keh. It's not my fault that you're too slow to come up with ideas.  
  
Don't make me hurt you.   
  
Blaze: Just shut up and get on with the story, the people have waited enough.  
  
*Sticks tongue out* Fine! That's exactly what I'll do!  
  
Blaze: *smirks*   
  
   
  
   
  
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Letting Go Of Hope  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Thinking of you…  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
Amy's hands clasped each other tightly as she paced on the marble floor of Chris's home. Her heart was clenched tight with worry over the one she had a not so secret crush on. "Sonic….you just have to be okay." She muttered for what seemed like the umpteenth time.   
  
Cream and Tails watched with equal amounts of worry. After their run in with the evil man, an upsetting thought had settled in on their minds, ….Sonic's whereabouts. It had been obvious that all of them had been transported through chaos control. So why wasn't Sonic showing up anywhere? Was it possible that he had escaped the teleportation? Or maybe….maybe it was something far worse?  
  
"Please try to calm down Amy, I'm sure Sonic's okay, he's tough." Tails commented again for what seemed like the umpteenth time as well. Nothing seemed to calm the pink hedgehog down.   
  
"I can't Tails! I can't calm down not knowing if Sonic is okay or not! I can't take this!" She shouted now on the verge of tears after expressing her feelings. A tear finally slipped out as she continued to shout. "I don't know how you guys are so calm! Sonic could be hurt, lost, dea…" She stopped herself from saying the last option. She refused to say it because she refused to believe it could be a possibility.   
  
"I'm calm because I believe in him Amy! We can't be a mess if he needs our help now, can we?"   
  
It was like a slap in the face for Amy as she quickly stopped her pacing . She was in awe of his profoundness and suddenly felt quite silly having let her emotions take over like that. "I'm sorry." she said shortly feeling quite ashamed.   
  
"Don't be. It's okay."   
  
"Would you guys like some snacks?" Chris suddenly asked as he came into his grandfather's bedroom carrying a tray with snacks he had prepared. His grandfather's room was the best place to keep his guests. The room was never touched by the butler, and the maid visited it only once a week for cleaning since it was the attic and a easily forgotten room.   
  
Cream and Cheese happily took a cookie and juice box thanking him politely. However, seeing Tail's and Amy's expression, it was like he had walked into a waiting room at the hospital. Their faces were lined with worry and were quiet enough to be considered mute. Knuckles was missing from the group. He had refused to return with the others to Chris's house after defeating Eggman. Perhaps Sonic's absence made him even more uneasy, but he had become even more determined to find chaos emeralds to get them all back home.   
  
"You know." He started hoping to make them feel better. "He is probably fine, back at your home world."   
  
"I hope so." Amy immediately answered.   
  
"If he is, he is probably the one who is worried sick about us." Cream added with a small smile knowing how caring Sonic was.   
  
"Besides." Chris continued glad that he had at least made one of his guests smile, "If he had shown up here along with you guys, I think we would have heard something about it in the news. Doesn't it make sense?"   
  
"I suppose." The fox child agreed. " I mean if he arrived and someone found him, they would have made a big fuss about it, right? Isn't that what you told me?"   
  
The boy nodded in agreement. However a bad feeling nagged at the back of his head. He had neglected to mention that if people had found their friend, they were likely to experiment first and ask questions later. He decided not to mention that part…for a while anyway. Glancing at Amy, he saw that despite her calm appearance she was still a bundle of nerves. Tails as well, though trying to be strong, looked like he would crack under that information.   
  
"But, we can't just sit her wondering can we?!? Isn't there anything we can do?" Amy piped up once more. She was anxious and restless. Sitting around doing nothing was something she wasn't about to accept. It didn't seem right.   
  
Tails turned pleading eyes to their host as well. "Do you know of any way we could find him? We're obviously not used to your world."   
  
Cream and Cheese also looked up at the boy expectantly. Chris stared at them wordlessly, the wheels turning in his   
  
head. After all he was still a junior high school kid. He didn't have much experience in these kinds of things. "Well, the only thing I can really think of is looking for him. If all of you ended up here in the same town, then if he was teleported here too it makes sense that he is in this same town. Maybe he is at the outskirts or something."   
  
The four who had been staring at him so intently suddenly seemed to perk at this piece of information obviously liking the idea. "Of course if we can't find him, we are going to have rely on the news. There's not much else we can do. Maybe if he turned up in another country completely, it'll turn up on the news."   
  
The others nodded in understanding. "Okay then, let's go." Amy and Tails nearly shouted in unison.   
  
Chris blinked as he was pulled out the door and back down to the garage where the Tornado was being kept. Cream and Cheese stayed behind being told to act like dolls should someone besides Chris's grandfather come in.   
  
Once in the garage, the trio immediately noticed the problem…the tornado was only equipped for two people.   
  
"Eh heh…sorry I forgot that it only had two seats." Tails said slightly embarrassed. Apparently he was so worried that he wasn't thinking clearly.   
  
"It's okay. I'll stay behind." Chris immediately offered knowing how anxious Amy was.   
  
"But I'll need you to show me around…" Tails immediately countered throwing an apologetic look to Amy.   
  
The pink hedgehog sighed. As stubborn as she was, she wasn't stupid. "Thanks, but that's okay Chris. Tails needs you to go first. But promise me one thing. If you guys can't find him, let me go up with Tails and have a try at finding him?"  
  
Both boys nodded at this. It was a deal.   
  
"Come on Chris, let's go."   
  
"Coming."   
  
With that both boys climbed into the plane, full of hope.   
  
   
  
   
  
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Sonic eyed the human woman wearily. The smell of the baked bread was nearly making him salivate but he managed to hold his ground. The human woman who had called herself Jade took another tentative step towards him.   
  
"Please don't be afraid. I'm not like the others. I won't hurt you."   
  
A furry triangular ear twitched at this comment. There were two ways to look at it. Either she was telling him the truth, or she was lying to get him into a false sense of security. Funny, if he had never been in this situation he would have believed her immediately. Being locked up and treated like a lab rat had taken away his naivety, go figure.   
  
Despite his earlier attempts to show his intelligence, now he wasn't so sure he should speak to the woman. She seemed fishy to him and he was tired of being poked at. He remained silent as she stared at him.   
  
But …she was patient. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She knew she would be in serious trouble and even get fired if anyone found her in there with the interesting creature. But she didn't care. If they were doing an injustice to him than she wanted to make it right and for that she had all the patience in the world.   
  
She smiled at him once more. "Not going to say anything huh?" She watched him eye her up and down as if analyzing her. It fascinated her to no end. " I know you're smart. I saw what you wrote. Why won't you talk to me? I heard that you yelled at the others here the other day too."   
  
He frowned and sat down once more in the far opposite corner from where she was. That's when she realized that he was showing signs of distrust. "I don't know what to do to get you to trust me, but I have to warn you, I have a lot of patience and will wait forever if I have to , to get you to trust me."   
  
His eyes widened slightly at that comment. It still sounded fishy however. He didn't feel he could trust her, why was she so desperate in gaining his trust? Maybe it was an order or a different kind of experiment. Glaring at her, he turned so that now she was only getting a view of his profile.   
  
Jade sighed and mentally groaned. He was indeed a stubborn one. Thinking back on her words she decided that maybe she was coming out as a little too forceful and therefore making herself sound suspicious.   
  
Literally slapping herself, she cursed herself for her stupidity. 'I have to take it slow with him. Of course he is not going to trust someone right away. I'm so stupid!'  
  
Trying a different approach, she grabbed a piece of one of the breads she had brought and popped it into her mouth. Making sure to eat nosily. Sonic's eyes involuntarily strayed over to her and once more he had to swallow hard to keep from drooling all over himself.   
  
Eyeing him with a small smirk, the young woman once again held out an untouched loaf of bread. "Are you sure you aren't hungry? Apparently the meal they served you wasn't up to your standards." She added with a smile.   
  
Sonic merely stared at her, but then his stomach chose to clench tightly growl loudly. He turned away quickly, his cheeks burning slightly under his fur. Here he was trying to be Mr. Tough guy and his stomach goes and growls!   
  
Giggling slightly, Jade shook her head. "You really are stubborn, you know that?" Confident that he wouldn't lash out at her she walked across the enclosed place over to him directly and placed the bread gently on his lap.   
  
He had stiffened slightly at her approach and closeness, but she made no other move than to give him the bread.   
  
Wordlessly he gave her a look of thanks as his stomach took over and he desperately ripped into the bread.   
  
She smiled back at him, happy that he had accepted it and not thrown it back at her or something. She was even happier watching him eat and seem a little happier.   
  
The bread disappeared quickly. Without a word or a look, Jade approached him once more and laid another loaf of bread on his lap once more. Sonic looked up at her with the same look of gratitude in his eyes as she went back to her spot on the other side of the cell.   
  
When Sonic had eaten the last remaining loaf of bread he had gotten up and walked over to the bowl of water, once again dipping his hands into the water and bringing it up to his mouth. The young woman looked on with a smirk and then she produced a paper cup out of the bag.   
  
"I have a paper cup…."   
  
This was enough to make him turn around. His eyes locked with hers and she smirked once more holding the cup out to him. She was more curious to see if he knew how to use one. She didn't want to push him however. She placed the cup by his feet near the place where the bowls hung.   
  
Sonic immediately grabbed it and dipped it into the water bowl filling it with water and drinking from it perfectly leaving her in total shock. He was so humanoid it was starting to unnerve her. Thoughts of him actually being a human mutated with a hedgehog began to fill her mind. Perhaps he knew? Did he have any memories of it, if that was the case?   
  
She decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Um…so …what are you?" She winced at the way that sounded, it was so rude.   
  
But she hadn't thought of any other way to put it. Not that it mattered. He remained silent but was staring at her.   
  
"I'm sorry, that was rude. What I meant was that, did you use to be human? You just act so much like one…You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious. You know we've never seen anything like you before."   
  
Sonic had an amused look on his face. She seemed to be trying so hard to not insult him. He was insulted in a way being compared to the beings who were doing these things to him. But she seemed to be really trying to get him to like her.   
  
Was this still part of a trap? Or was she really doing this out of the bottom of her heart? He was getting confused and when he got confused, he got annoyed.   
  
Once again he turned from her leaning against the side of the cell. The sleep that had been interrupted before her arrival was catching up to him once more. His stomach now full and his mind tired from the hundreds of thoughts running through it, made him feel exhausted. He could feel his eyes starting to droop but he refused to fall asleep while she was still in the cell with him.   
  
Jade noticed this. She was discouraged that she had not won his trust right away but she was not going to give up. She cleaned up her mess taking away all signs that she had been there, including his cup, and started to leave.   
  
"Goodnight blue." She called not knowing what else to call him. " I'll leave you alone now. But I'll try to come back tomorrow night. You look like you could use some company."   
  
Sonic stared at her through lidded eyes as he watched her leave. Oddly enough with her gone he felt more awake. Angered with his body for being so fickle he choose to stare at the stars shining through the window until he fell asleep.   
  
But like with many people before sleep came to him, his mind was filled with thoughts. The young woman had left him feeling strange. She reminded him of another girl eager to please him, Amy. Staring at the stars he pictured her face in a odd connect-the-dots picture as well as all his other friends.   
  
Homesickness was striking him hard once more. 'I don't want friends here. I want my own friends back. ' He thought stubbornly, his throat constricting and his chest feeling tight as he suddenly began to feel desperate again.   
  
'I want to go home.'  
  
______________________________________________________  
  
It was early morning when Jade arrived at the warehouse again. She was in charge of helping to care for the animals at all hours. This included feeding them breakfast and making sure they were okay.   
  
Of course the first cell she visited was the one of whom she had spent a good portion of the night with. She peered into his cell and gasped. He was still leaning against the side she had left him leaning against last night, however his faced seem troubled and along his muzzle were tear streaks.   
  
Her heart broke and she immediately felt like hugging him. She was now more than ever determined to pay him another visit in the night.  
  
As it turned out, her visit with him came sooner than expected when Dr. Cameron came to her later in the afternoon.   
  
"Jade." He called with a tone that made her not dare to call back but instead come before him.   
  
"Yes sir?" She asked meekly hoping that he had not found out about her late night visit, but it would have been impossible to do so. She erased all traces of the visit and this facility oddly enough had no security cameras.   
  
"Specimen Id number 23958 still has not eaten and seems to have no energy at all. I think it would be wise to give him a booster of some sort till we can figure out what it is that he likes to eat. "   
  
"But sir, I'm sure that if we just offer him some fresh foods he will eat them….maybe some fruit?"   
  
"We will try that, perhaps in the future. But right now I want you to give him that booster."   
  
" I hate to be disrespectful sir, but I don't think it is very wise to do so. We don't know how his immune system will react to these injections."   
  
"You dare to talk back to me? I'm not paying you for your insolence Jade, I'm paying you to do your job."   
  
She cringed at the accusation. "Yes sir, I'm sorry sir."   
  
"Right then, he will be brought to you momentarily."   
  
"I…I can just go to him sir! I think he trusts me, he eyes me a lot…."   
  
"I said , he will be brought to you momentarily."   
  
"….Yes sir…."   
  
No more than five minutes later a distinct smooth male voice was heard coming down the hallway, one she had never heard before and one that was quite angry.   
  
"Let me go you jerks! You're lucky I can't move my legs you cheaters!"   
  
"Shut up beast!" One of the attendants carrying the specimen spat.   
  
"I won't shut up you coward! I'm not a lab rat I'm just like you, I just look different is all!"   
  
Neither of the two attendants who were carrying Sonic said a word they merely came into the infirmary and strapped him to a table. "Just stay there and take your stinking medicine you trouble maker. For some reason the boss wants you healthy."   
  
"If he wants me healthy so badly then he should give me decent food!"   
  
"Shut up already!"   
  
"No!"  
  
"Enough! Please….just leave him alone." Jade finally cut in.   
  
The two attendants eyed her suspiciously, but then shrugged. "Whatever , just give him his stinking shot so we can put the freak back in the cage."   
  
"You're the only freak in this room gigantaur!" Sonic spat at the extremely heavy attendant.   
  
Jade had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Please, your upsetting my patient, won't you wait outside till I'm finished? I can handle him…"   
  
"..Che. Fine." Both attendants left to guard the door outside the infirmary.   
  
Jade sighed. Privacy, but not complete privacy. She'd have to do the best she could with it. Right now she was more excited that she had heard 'blue' talk.   
  
"Hey there! I'm glad to see that you seem more talkative today."   
  
Sonic merely glared at her, he was not in a good mood and he wasn't in the mood to deal with her cheerfulness.   
  
She frowned at the fact that he was less responsive with her. However he was obviously upset so she stayed quiet for a while. Eyeing him she noticed he seemed more alert than the day before. Apparently he had gotten his strength back. She eyed his body and then frowned. In his legs were two more paralyzing darts. Apparently he had tried to dash out of his cell again.   
  
By the time she glanced back up to meet his eyes again, he had turned his face to the side. Yep , definitely in a bad mood.   
  
She sighed and walked over to him. Rubbing his legs gently she pulled out the darts, making him look at her in surprise. Of course he wouldn't get feeling back in them immediately, but it would help the feeling come back faster. She smiled at his look of surprise and made a 'shh' gesture with a wink.   
  
She whispered, as to not be heard by the guards outside, " You don't need those."   
  
She then grabbed his arm and swabbed it with alcohol, she looked ready to inject him with something. His glare immediately returned. She shook her head and once again made the 'shh' gesture.   
  
She only wanted his fur to smell like alcohol to make it seem like she had injected something into him. She prepared a booster needle and then squirted its contents down a sink, making it look used. At Sonic's curious stare, she smiled and whispered, "I don't want to make you sick, blue."   
  
It was then that Sonic felt that he could finally trust her. Even if it was part of a trap, he was finally willing to take that risk. "….Sonic."   
  
Jade jumped back slightly in surprise not expecting him to direct something at her. "What?!" she squeaked out in surprise.   
  
Sonic gave her a small smile. "My name….is Sonic."   
  
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A/n: I just wanted to make something clear. Someone left me a review with something along the lines of not letting this fic get too AU. (First of all I thank you for reviewing.) But I would like to address that. This fic if some of you haven't noticed is slightly AU. I can't help it. Because basically this is my view of how the episodes would have happened if Sonic wasn't in the picture from the start.   
  
I didn't call it AU because for me AU is when you take the characters and put them in another setting. I've basically kept them in the same setting, just rewrote the events to fit this type of situation. Makes sense? I hope so.   
  
Also as for the fact of Sonic losing his sanity, it's something that will happen gradually not right away. This fic is moving slowly and I'm sorry for that. I will continue to try to dish out the chapters as fast as I can.   
  
Thank you so much to those who have been loyal to me! I appreciate it so much! Hope you enjoyed!   
  
(P.S. I know it was a little sad, but please bare with it.) 


	6. Chapter Six: Escape

Disclaimer: I bought all Sonic characters today. I am so happy. ^______^  
  
Horde of lawyers appear: *charging like bulls with rabies*  
  
Eh heh....*runs like crazy* All right so I lied!!  
  
Blaze: *shakes his head with shame*  
  
*comes back* Warning!! This chapter has a lot more cursing than the others! Just letting you know.  
  
Blaze: *sigh*  
  
_________________________________________________________  
  
Letting Go Of Hope  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Escape  
  
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Jade merely stared in shock as the blue creature who had just identified itself stared at her. Had she finally won his trust? Well whatever was going on she had been given a sliver of hope to hold onto and she wasn't about to let go.  
  
"Sonic?"  
  
"Right."  
  
She nodded and then gave him a small smirk. "Cute name."  
  
He shrugged as best as he could considering he was still restricted against the table. Noticing his discomfort, she quickly undid the belts holding him allowing him to sit up and hoped the guards would wait just a little longer before checking in.  
  
Turning her back to him, for some reason truly trusting him, she began to clean up the small mess she had made when his voice called back her attention. "Why?"  
  
"Why?...Why what?"  
  
"Why, ....are you helping me?"  
  
"Because it's the right thing to do. I wouldn't torture anything even if my life depended on it. That's why I studied to be a veterinarian, I wanted to help creatures, not hurt them."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Animal doctor."  
  
He made a face at this. Wasn't he trying to prove that he wasn't some lowly animal? Maybe she really did seem him like all the others. "I'm....not a..."  
  
"I know, I know. You're not an animal. You're something much, much more." She finished with a smile.  
  
He blinked and found himself smiling back. "Right."  
  
"Sonic, tell me, please? Were you mutated or something? You wouldn't tell me last night...."  
  
"I'm not from here, I--"  
  
The door suddenly swung open, but Jade quickly stood in front of Sonic shielding the fact that he was unrestrained quickly. Sonic on his part, wanting to return her favor quickly slid under the buckles as to not get her in trouble. He'd get out later, when he wouldn't get her involved and in trouble.  
  
The same overweight guard came in with the same look of disgust. "Are you done with the freak yet? You're taking an awfully long time just to give him a shot."  
  
Jade kept her cool and shrugged. "He put up more of a struggle than I thought he would, but in the end he cooperated."  
  
"Whatever, he's going back to his cell now."  
  
Pushing the human shield out of the way, the guard quickly grabbed the hedgehog roughly not taking the time to unbuckle all of the restraints and easily holding both his arms in one hand. "Yeow! Take it easy tubby, my body is covered in fur not steel!"  
  
Yes Sonic took no time in getting back to the insults.  
  
Jade once again had to quickly bite her tongue to keep from laughing once more. "Easy! He's valuable! If I tell Dr. Cameron how you've been treating him, he won't be pleased!"  
  
The guard immediately paled and nodded curtly. "Fine." His grip on the hedgehog's arms loosened slightly and had his legs not still be numb, he would have had enough room to escape. "Wouldn't want to upset the boss now would ya?" Sonic couldn't help but ask.  
  
"You shut up! I don't have to take any lip from you!"  
  
And the two continued to argue the rest of the way down the hall. Even though Jade could no longer see them, she could hear their angry voices bouncing off the walls.  
  
Before anyone realized it, a week and a half had already passed since Sonic had been brought to the warehouse. During this time Jade had gotten Sonic to trust her completely. She visited him every night bringing dinner since they still refused to give him anything but cat food.  
  
She had also done various other things in an attempt to help him. Of course with everything she did there had to be an explanation to the almighty Dr. Cameron. She had not revealed that Sonic would interact with her. She wasn't stupid.  
  
Why did she suddenly feel compelled to buy him a small dog bed? Why had she set up a curtain at one end of the cell? She simply knew that he needed those things by close observation. Not because he had specifically told her that sleeping on the concrete bottom was uncomfortable or that having to use the facilities while people were watching you was uncomfortable. .....Yeah, right. And he had not even cared that he had to sleep in a dog bed, it was much better than sleeping on the hard concrete floor.  
  
"Hey Sonic..." She greeted sweetly as she entered his cell once more this night.  
  
His face actually brightened at the sight of her. Whether it was her company or the fact that she was bringing edible food, she wasn't sure.  
  
"Hey! You brought chili-dogs this time!"  
  
She blinked in amazement. "How did you..."  
  
He pointed smugly to his nose. "This nose could recognize one a mile away."  
  
She laughed and shook her head handing the bag over to him. "Well I remember how you said you loved them so much..."  
  
"I do, thanks!" He told sincerely and quite happily.  
  
Indeed over the course of those few nights she had learned so much about him. About where he really was from, about chaos control and emeralds, his abilities that he always had, about his friends and his interests.  
  
She in turn, revealed anything she found interesting about herself, but whatever she said sounded dull and plain to her ears in comparison to his own story.  
  
"Jade..."  
  
"Yea, Sonic?"  
  
"Do you think....do you think I'll ever get to go back home?"  
  
His voice had suddenly taken a dive and she realized that he had gotten depressed during the day. It was a question he frequently asked, but it still made her heart clench every time she heard those words. These nightly visits were meant for this purpose too, to keep his hopes up and hopefully ease him, if only a little.  
  
"Of course you will. You'll see. I'll help you get back home."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Soon...."  
  
In all honesty she didn't know how to get him out of this god forsaken establishment. She had grown to hate it simply cause of the fact that she had realized that they were just using the animals to experiment on. Something she truly detested and because one of her newly acquired friends was one of them. Now he was growing extremely impatient. They had this conversation various times before, but never had he demanded a specific time.  
  
"I need a better answer Jade, soon already seems like an eternity away."  
  
She sighed deeply. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know when that is going to happen."  
  
He jumped up, forgetting his food and pacing around madly. "I can't take that anymore! I'm sick of being here Jade! Day in and day out the same thing everyday! I need to be free, I need to run, I need to see new things, see old faces... I need out!!" He finally shouted breathing heavily with his frustration.  
  
"Sonic, please calm down. Remember? I'm on your side."  
  
His breathing was still heavy with anger but he attempted to calm himself nonetheless. "Then help me Jade. I can't do this alone."  
  
If she would have known him longer she would have known that , that confession was one of the biggest he could have ever made. His friends knew that he was stubborn and believed that he believed if he tried hard enough he could complete any task on his own.  
  
However, his words still made her heart melt with sympathy like many of his words did, and she sighed heavily. "I am going to help Sonic! I told you that already! You just have to be patient a little longer, neither you nor I can take everyone down in this place if something goes wrong."  
  
"I know that...." He admitted sulkily remembering the various times he had been easily stopped already.  
  
"Right, you do. So we'll wait. When the time is right I will get you out, I promise."  
  
"Jade...."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"....Thank you...."  
  
She grinned glad that she could ease his mind at least for tonight. "You're welcome."  
  
Glancing out the window she noticed that the sky was an odd mix of blue and black. The black was fading as the blue filled in the cracks. Damn. Dawn was coming. This time Sonic had been upset enough that just calming him had taken almost until morning. It was then she realized how sleepy she was and she realized that he too was having trouble keeping his eyes open.  
  
"Shit. Sonic, I got to go! I have to go get some sleep if I even hope of getting back here later on time!"  
  
Though sleepy, he seemed amused and stared at her with a sleepy yet accusing smirk.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You cursed. I never heard you curse before."  
  
She sighed. "Well lack of sleep can do things to a girl." She then laughed shortly and gave him a quick hug bidding him a good rest before hurrying out of the cell and to her apartment which wasn't too far if one traveled in car from the warehouse.  
  
"Night Jade!" Sonic called after her followed by a yawn as she disappeared from his sight.  
  
Later that morning, Jade returned with a scowl on her face. Something told her that this was going to be a very long day. After quickly leaving Sonic behind, she rushed home only to find that she was too awake to fall asleep. Laying down and counting the spots on the ceiling was not her definition of sleeping. So now her eyes were bloodshot, her reflexes slower, and her mind muddled with thoughts, leaving her in a bad mood.  
  
"Great." She muttered to herself hating to feel this way. She was afraid she would take out her frustrations on the undeserving, like Sonic.  
  
Sonic. The mere thought of him made her smile. Had she the mentality of the others she would have said something idiotic, for example saying that he was her pet. But he was much more than that to her. He was her own special little friend. The ones little girls dream of and make up imaginary friends to try and experience that kind of friendship. Knowing him she had quickly learned through his stories and personality that he was a great friend to all and she was glad to be included in that group.  
  
Her thoughts of him unconsciously brought her to his cell only to find that it was empty. Hm, oh well. Her mind did a double take. Empty?!?!? His cell should have not been empty!  
  
Various feelings ripped through her heart at once. Mostly worry mixed with happiness. Worried because he was only taken out forcefully when they wanted her to do tests on him that she always pretended to do, and happy because maybe, just maybe he had finally escaped?  
  
No. That couldn't be it. The atmosphere was to calm for him to have escaped. That meant something very wrong had occurred and her stomach clenched painfully at the thought.  
  
"Dr. Cameron...." She muttered quickly racing over to his office.  
  
Upon arrival, she quickly forgot all rules of etiquette and knocked rapidly, impatiently.  
  
He opened the door calmly and stared at her with what she thought was a very sadistic look. "Why Jade, you seem troubled, what's the matter?"  
  
"Where is Son--- ID number 23958??"  
  
"Is he missing? I don't recall the alarm sounding."  
  
"Sir! He isn't in his cell--I don't think he escaped but..." She stopped noticing the amused look on his face at her babbling. "Sir?" That look made her swallow hard. He knew something. And when he knew something she didn't, concerning Sonic, it meant trouble.  
  
"Of course he isn't in his cell Jade. Oh, right. You're late today and missed the briefing."  
  
Glancing quickly at her watch she cursed mentally. Damn. She was late. Perhaps she had gotten a few winks of sleep? "What was the staff briefed on , if I may be so bold as to ask sir?"  
  
"About specimen number 23958."  
  
She swallowed hard again not liking where this was going. "What about him sir?"  
  
"Nothing major. Just that we changed physicians on him."  
  
"What?!?!" Now she was enraged and insulted. "He was assigned to me! Wasn't I good enough?" "Yes, yes you were my dear Jade. But some guards have brought to my attention the fact that you seem to have grown quite attached to that creature and I agree. That's why I think with the next few tests that must be performed, it would be best if you were not the one performing them. You might not have the heart to go through with them completely."  
  
She swore her heart stopped breathing as she heard her breath catch in her throat. Had he realized what she was doing? He must of. He was just toying with her now. Bastard.  
  
"I don't think I would let my personal feelings interfere with my job sir."  
  
"Come now Jade, don't insult my intelligence by lying to me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It is quite obvious that you have become to attached to the .....creature. I also have reason to believe that you have in fact not been doing the tests I have told you to perform on him. "  
  
"How could you think...."  
  
"How could I think such a thing? Eh? Well none of the drugs you have supposedly pumping into him have had any effect, at all. If anything lately he has seemed healthier."  
  
"You want him to get sick sir?"  
  
"Not necessarily. But I was expecting to see various changes."  
  
"Changes? What changes?"  
  
"That is not for you to know. All I know is that you haven't been doing your job. Right?"  
  
"Just what do you want with him?!? Why are you so interested on torturing him?!?!"  
  
"Enough! I already said that it is none of your business what my intentions with the blue creature are! All I care about is have you done your job? No, you haven't. I suggest you shape up or you will be fired. Specimen 23958 is no longer of your concern so you better forget about him."  
  
"Yes....sir."  
  
"Good, now be on your way and care for the other animals on this facility as there are more than one."  
  
"Sir...."  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"Please sir, may I interact with him one last time?"  
  
"..............."  
  
"Please sir."  
  
"Fine. He is in the extra infirmary. Room 218."  
  
"Thank you sir!"  
  
With a heavy heart, Jade raced down the halls eager to see her friend and hopefully save him from whatever they were planning to do to him. But deep within her conscious she knew that she was already too late. By now whatever they had wanted to do to him, was done.  
  
Room 218.  
  
She wasn't sure she wanted to enter. Everything was deathly silent except for a few snickers here and there. Surely Sonic would spit out some smart ass remark any time now, right?  
  
Nothing. She could not here one peep from him and that fact alone terrified her. Waiting only a few seconds to hear from him and hearing nothing, she lost all self control and slammed the door open.  
  
The guards and so called doctor in the room snapped their heads up at her intrusion, blinking stupidly not knowing at first why she had entered so violently.  
  
"Jade! What are you doing in here!" Ah the same guard she and Sonic had to deal with every time he had these doctor visits. The one Sonic affectionately called gigantuar.  
  
"Can it Lex, where is he?"  
  
"Who?" he asked with an evil smile feigning supposed innocence.  
  
"You know who! Where is he?!? What have you brutes done to him!"  
  
"I seriously don't know what you're talking about Jade. Maybe you're the one who should go see a doctor."  
  
"Lex, I'm really not in the mood right now. I've talked to Dr. Cameron already, I know he is in here! Where is he already damn it!"  
  
"Oh I see, you mean the little freak." He moved his obtuse body to the side revealing a table similar to the one in her own infirmary, on it was a blue furry lump shivering uncontrollably his eyes screwed shut.  
  
Her eyes widened and she swallowed the lump in her throat to keep from sobbing. Her friend looked simply awful. Sweat glistened and dripped freely off his fur as he shivered, his body experiencing unknown levels of heat and cold at the same time. His eyes were screwed shut as he seemed to gasp for air and clawed at his throat as he made gagging sounds. He was trying desperately to rid his body of whatever it was that they had forced down his throat and was making his body react this way.  
  
"Sonic!!" she couldn't help but yell out as she rushed over to him and picked him up while patting his back trying to soothe him in some way.  
  
He gave no response, he could not respond as he continued to shiver in her arms.  
  
"You bastard!" She growled pointing at the so called doctor. "How could you?!?! How could you even call yourself a doctor?!? What the hell did you give him?!?"  
  
"I have no obligation to reveal that to you."  
  
"Asshole!!" She yelled out. There was no stopping her now. She was infuriated, how, how could anyone do such a cruel thing?  
  
"Jade I think you should calm down before I report you!"  
  
"Buzz off Lex! You're just a big of a jerk as he is! How dare you people! That's it! I'm out of here."  
  
Well that would have been fine. If she was quitting then they could do nothing to stop her. She could try to report them to the police but if they knew she left they would move the facility before the police could even show up to investigate. Her leaving was no problem........but ......she was leaving with a shivering blue hedgehog in her arms.  
  
She made it as far as past the door way as they realized this. Then they reacted. "Hey!! Where do you think you are going with that experiment you whore?!"  
  
Jade whirled on him with such an intense look in her eyes that any other comment he had intended to make, was stuck in his throat. "I said I was leaving! And If I'm leaving so is he!"  
  
"Like we will let you leave so easily, you idiot!"  
  
With that all three guards came charging at her. Hm. Hadn't she mentioned to Sonic during one of their late night talks that she took martial arts for 8 years? Yes, yes she did. Shame she hadn't told them, but they were about to find out first hand.  
  
Quickly kicking out at them and ducking their own attacks on her, she finished them off quite easily, embarrassing the three strong men, knocking them out cold, and ran down the hallway. At least that scuffle had proven useful. Stealing the master key from Lex, she was now able to open any door in the facility! Yes! Her mind yelled in victory as she ran.  
  
She had before, a general key, one that let her in the warehouse and out. Nothing more, nothing less. It had proven quite useless in a earlier plan to rescue Sonic, since his cell was within a intricate catacomb with many doors that required a master key to open. That was why she had a guard buzz her into the hallways behind the cells where the doors to the cells was located. The guards had let her in and out on her nightly visits just thinking that she was doing her rounds. So all that meant was that now, since she was within the complicated catacomb once more she could open any door leading to the outside without having to go through the main entrance or guards and possibly attract more unwanted attention.  
  
It happened anyway.  
  
Apparently one of the guards she had "finished" was quick on his recovery. Damn. This wasn't going to go as easily as she had hoped she realized as she turn a corner and found more guards charging at her. He had sounded the alarm.  
  
Quickly running the other way she picked up on her speed and turned around another corner, and spotted the key to their salvation, an exit door clearly marked as one. She smiled because the heavens were apparently smiling upon her today.  
  
"Almost there Sonic, almost there!"  
  
The response was a painful moan as the hedgehog clenched on to her tightly his body still reacting badly to whatever they had given him. "Shh. Hang in there for me!" She immediately yelled in response, desperate to examine him and help him as quick as possible.  
  
"There she is! Stop her you idiots!"  
  
Jade could feel darts flying past her, she had been jumping every now and then to throw off their aim, the same concept as a leaping gazelle would do by zigzagging to throw a lion off their pace in a chase.  
  
This method proved effective as she was finally able to round the final corner and break through the finish line, the door.  
  
She wanted to laugh out of poor joy as she felt the morning's breeze hit her in the face as she continued to run. But she couldn't she could still hear them hot on her trail. They wouldn't give up their precious specimen that easily and who knew if the darts in those guns were even harmless paralyzing darts anymore.  
  
"We will make it, we will make it." She chanted as she ran , adrenaline driving her all the way. She never thought she'd be in a situation like this one.  
  
Running right through the surrounding woods, she continued to run looking for anywhere she could conceal herself and the bundle in her arms. Finally she spotted a cave deep in the distance. It was small probably the home of some small animals, but they would just have to accept some guests today.  
  
Diving into it, she panted and tried to get her heart to stop trying to escape her chest and then laughed nervously. "Well Sonic, eternity ended a little sooner than we both thought. I helped you escape like I promised!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice, nervousness controlling her state of mind now.  
  
Shouts of their pursuers were heard in the distance as they cursed and promised threats of horrible things that would be done when they were caught. She shivered. "I just hope that this time you can keep your freedom..."  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ ________  
  
FieryKitsune: o_0 ....um...wow? Lol I wasn't expecting to write that.....  
  
Blaze: *sighs* Idiot.  
  
FieryKitsune: Shut up you!  
  
Blaze: *sticks tongue out* make me!  
  
FieryKitsune: *pinches his tongue*  
  
Blaze: Ow!!! O_0  
  
FieryKitsune: Ha!  
  
Blaze: *whacks her with his tail*  
  
FieryKitsune: ow..  
  
Blaze: ^_^  
  
FieryKitsune: *sighs* Anyway, I really hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and that it surprised you! Cause it certainly surprised me! Lol. Please review and thank you so much again to new reviewers and loyal reviewers! I love ya all! *big hug* 


	7. Chapter Seven: One Step Closer

  
  
**  
Letting Go Of Hope  
  
Chapter 7  
  
One Step Closer.....**

****

  
  
"Find her boys! If we lose her and the freak, the boss will really let us have it!"  
  
"Yes sir!" A chorus of shouts answered.  
  
Jade shivered as she heard them, their shouts echoing within the cave. It had proven to be a very deep cave indeed. She was able to move as far into it as she dared and felt safe since it's darkness was shielding both her and Sonic.  
  
"Please, don't let them find us for now.." She pleaded looking heavenward. She knew they would find them eventually, but she wanted her companion to be well before they did. Then he would have more of a chance of escaping for real.  
  
A loud painful groan caught her attention once more and she decided that she would have to give up listening for intruders and devote her attention to her friend. "Okay, Sonic, let me have a look at you."  
  
She tried to lean the blue hedgehog away from her, but he was too weak to sit, and ended up leaning heavily against her.  
  
Frowning, she examined him observing that he was still having trouble breathing, was shivering and was still gagging. Placing her hand on his chest, she felt that his heart was beating incredibly fast.  
  
Her own heart raced as she realized that there wasn't much she could do for him. Whatever drugs they had injected into him, had reacted badly and were now like a poison in his system. In her rush to escape, she did not have the time to bring anything that could possibly help.  
  
There was only one remedy she could think of and it wasn't exactly pleasant.  
  
"Forgive me, but this is the only way I can help you."  
  
Sonic , struggling to regain control of his body, only looked up at her in confusion. Just what was she planning to do and why was she apologizing?  
  
"Open your mouth."  
  
Still unable to control his body fully, it took a few moments before he was finally able to comply to her wishes and open his mouth.  
  
Not a second had passed since he had opened his mouth, before Jade gently pushed two of her fingers in and tickled the back of his throat.  
  
His eyes widened as he realized what she had done before he pushed away from her and relived the meal he had the night before.  
  
She rubbed his back gently through the entire ordeal and then handed him a tissue when he was done. "Well....that was embarrassing...." He spoke shakily after what seemed like long agonizing hours.  
  
Jade smiled, happy to hear him speaking and not gasping. "Sorry, but I had to...." She replied still rubbing his back gently.  
  
"I know...thank you."  
  
"Don't thank me silly, I had to help you. Are you feeling better?"  
  
"A lot, but I feel so ...drained ...."  
  
"And weak? I was expecting you to be."  
  
It was then that Sonic realized that he was leaning heavily against her. His eyelids felt heavy and it was difficult to keep them open. "Are we...are we safe?" He muttered as sleep began to claim him.  
  
Her smile immediately faded as she looked down upon him and hugged him a little tighter. "No."  
  
"Then what are we doing? Let's go..." He started trying to push away from her, but the drug was still affecting him and his body refused to respond.  
  
"No, not yet. You need to sleep this off, I'll make sure we will be okay, I'll stay alert."  
  
The blue hedgehog didn't respond, having fallen asleep while he she was half way done speaking.  
  
Jade carried him even deeper into the cave looking for the darkest corner possible. She then sat down once again leaning her small friend against herself, letting him use her as a pillow.  
  
The men's shouts were getting closer and a cold chill ran up her spine. "Please Sonic, get well quickly, I think we will have to move sooner than I thought...."

---------------------------------------------------------

"One of them may be around here...." A certain red echidna muttered as he searched through a forest far from the main city where he had left his friends. "This could be a place where a chaos emerald would be hiding..."  
  
However, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he would find one in this place, he could sense nothing and knew that he was probably searching in vain.  
  
Sighing, the echidna looked heavenward, the nature surrounding him making him feel nostalgic and homesick.  
  
'I need to get home,....soon.' He thought desperately .  
  
A loud bang made him jump slightly. His keen hearing caught the sounds of many men in the distance.  
  
Shouting, hollering, banging noises, all announced their presence in the usually tranquil forest.  
  
"Damn you idiots to hell!" One shouted, seeming to be the one in charge. "If you don't find that blue freak soon, I will make sure you all die a slow and painful death!"  
  
Ok, so he was the one in charge.  
  
"What the hell?" Knuckles muttered to himself as he approached closer and saw the large group of men hunting for something. He watched them carefully, making sure to keep himself hidden.  
  
These men did not seem to be the type that wanted to make friends. It was then that he realized something. What had that leader said? A blue freak, ...could it possibly be....  
  
"Sonic!" He couldn't help but shout out in realization. "They must be talking about Sonic! He's here?"  
  
Now he was torn. Should he continue his search for the chaos emeralds and leave? Or should he stay and look for Sonic, who had these extremely dangerous men looking for him? Then again he wasn't sure it was Sonic they were talking about....  
  
"I swear, when we find that blue mutant, I'm going to enjoy killing him."  
  
"Shut the hell up, you know we're going through all this because Dr. Cameron wants him alive. He wants him for the money he can make off of him, you know that."  
  
"Right, right."  
  
Knuckles hid himself further as the two men passed him by . Now any doubts he had were gone. It was definitely Sonic that they were looking for.  
  
"Sonic, what in the world did you get yourself into now?" He asked the air thinking of his blue friend.  
  
Surely he would be long gone by now. Even if he had just escaped from these men, he was fast enough to be all the way back to the city by now, wasn't he? Then why? Why did he have such a bad feeling that the blue hedgehog was in danger?  
  
"Jeez, now I have to look for something else. Now, If I were Sonic, and I was hurt or whatever, where would I go?" The echidna pondered looking around the massive forest for any sort of clues and then sighed.  
  
This , ...was going to take a long time.

---------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure we've looked everywhere we possibly could?"  
  
"I'm sorry Amy, but yes. I took you everywhere that Chris showed me. We've searched over and over, I don't think Sonic is here." Tails answered sadly placing a comforting hand on the pink hedgehog's shoulder.  
  
"But he has to be Tails! He just has to!"  
  
"Well, it is true that he could be stuck back home...."  
  
"Oh stop! You know that is impossible! He was the closest to the emeralds! How would they overlook him?"  
  
"I -I don't know...."  
  
"Oh Tails, what if we never find him? What if we find a way to get home and have to leave him behind? What if we lose him forever!?!"  
  
"Amy, please calm down. Even if do find all the chaos emeralds before we find Sonic, you know that we would never leave without him. Not until we know for sure what has happened to him."  
  
"I guess you're right. We don't even know how long it will take us to find the emeralds. Maybe we will find him first, right?" She aksed with a small hopeful smile.  
  
The young fox smiled encouragingly and nodded. "Right."  
  
Then, both the hedgehog and fox left the garage and tornado behind, heading for Chris's grandfather's room.  
  
Once inside, they found Cream and Cheese dancing and singing along with a children's program playing on the television. Chris was watching as well, but only to watch their cute antics rather than the show itself.  
  
Hearing the door open, the youth looked up a them, eyes full of hope till he saw their crestfallen expressions. "No luck huh?"  
  
"None whatsoever." Tails responed.  
  
"I'm sorry. "He immediately responded.  
  
Amy nodded, but then smiled at Cream's antics. "At least someone is enjoying themselves. "  
  
"Well, not really. She started crying earlier, so I had to resort to this to take her mind off of everything." Chris whispered.  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
"I just don't know what else we can possibly do." Tails piped in quietly.  
  
None of them wanted to upset Cream, they wanted her to keep her mind off the whole matter.  
  
"I'm sorry, I guess we really are going to have to wait this out." The young boy answered looking at them warily, expecting them to blow up in his face.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Well, that was even worst. The fox's voice sounded so dejected and without emotion that it had hurt a lot worst than if he had gotten angry.  
  
"To top it all off, we don't know where Knuckles is either." Amy added.  
  
"Well, You guys are all friends. I'm sure he will come back to you, I gave him my house address and everything."  
  
"Yeah I guess you're right." She agreed.  
  
"I just wish that something would go right....soon." Tails added and both his human and hedgehog companion nodded in agreement.

---------------------------------------------------------

A crunch on the floor sounded like a gunshot as it echoed throughout the cave, reverberating off the walls.  
  
Jade, who had been lightly dozing, but unable to sleep fully since she was on alert, sat up immediately. Straining her ears, she struggled to figure out just exactly where that sound had come from originally.  
  
There were more crunching sounds, and they paused frequently, and sounded almost as if they didn't want to be heard at all. Someone , was sneaking around.  
  
Her heart pounded, trying to escape her chest as she forced the wheels in her brain to turn and think of a way to get out without getting Sonic and herself hurt. Those idiots had finally found the cave, and it was not going to be easy to get around them.  
  
"Damnit all to hell...." She muttered.  
  
Looking down at Sonic that was still sleeping on her lap, she nudged him gently.  
  
"Wha?..." He muttered opening his eyes sleepily to peer at her.  
  
She made a 'shh' gesture at him and jerked her thumb towards the entrance of the cave.  
  
He understood immediately, especially after hearing the crunching sound as well. They were in danger of being caught.  
  
Pushing himself away from her, he was able to get up. It was then that he realized something extremely important. "Hey, I ...I feel great!"  
  
"Sonic, please! Keep your voice down." She reprimanded quietly.  
  
"Jade, you don't understand... I feel so good. We can take them on, you'll see."  
  
"I ...I don't know...."  
  
"We can do it, you just watch. "He insisted, adding a wink to his comment.  
  
Before she realized what he was doing, the blue hedgehog had left her side and was heading towards the mouth of the cave, exposing himself.  
  
"Sonic, no!"  
  
"Hey, no brains , looking for me?" He called out standing confidently.  
  
Jade groaned. She in fact wasn't sure if they could pull off such a miracle, then again she had never seen  
  
Sonic at his best before.  
  
"There he is! Get him!" The ringleader of the monkey men shouted pointing stupidly as if they hadn't already seen him.  
  
They shot wildly and Sonic gracefully dodged them all. Not only was his graceful, he was fast. With no darts to hinder him, he was at the peak of his abilities, and to their eyes he only seemed like a blue blur stopping now and then to laugh at them, sometimes hitting them before they knew they were getting hit.  
  
Jade watched in amazement, before the men noticed her and made advances upon her as well. Apparently they were trying to use her as a hostage.  
  
However, she was in no way a push over.  
  
Quickly defending herself from the men, she let all her martial arts knowledge lead her as she fought. Soon enough , both she and Sonic had knocked out a good amount of the men that were after them.  
  
If only there weren't so many men.  
  
As if done by magic, one call for back up quickly replaced all the men that had been defeated.  
  
"Damn." Sonic muttered panting from exertion.  
  
"Sonic, we have to go. We have to get out of here so we can get help and then bring them down."  
  
"Yeah I think you're right Jade, so let's go.  
  
"Huh?!?"  
  
With a small smirk he grabbed her hand and began to run, she was dragged along with him, for a small little guy, he was very strong. However he wasn't able to run to his full potential since he was dragging her. The difference in height, and weight was significant.  
  
Jade however, did feel like she was floating above the ground since her feet were moving so fast. She was amazed, but now wasn't the time to be in awe. "Sonic! Sonic! I can't keep up with you! Just leave me behind, you go on ahead!"  
  
"No, we escape together!" He shouted back still dragging her.  
  
They continued to dash through the forest , Sonic constantly looking behind himself to make sure she was all right. It was in one moment that he was looking back, that he slammed into something.  
  
"What the?!?" Shouted an all too familiar voice to the hedgehog's ears.  
  
Jade was dazed as she recovered from the sudden impact. Her eyes widened as she realized what they had crashed into.  
  
The red creature rubbed his head as he raised himself off the ground and looked up. "S-Sonic?"  
  
Sonic was merely staring at the other creature , a river of emotions running through him at once. If it hadn't been this particular person, he would have cried from the emotion. "Knuckles!" He couldn't help but shout his face splitting into a large grin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Wow, You guys, I'm so extremely sorry. I know I always keep you in suspense with this story. However you loyal reviewers of mine and the new ones who have been demanding an update, made me feel really good and I just had to overcome my writer's block for you!  
  
Thank you so very much everyone! I really hope this new installment was worth all your waiting! 


	8. Chapter Eight: To Another Problem

A/N: I just wanted to give a very big thank you to everyone who has pushed for me to finish this story. I can't believe that people are still reading/taking interest in it, and liking it! I feel very honored. (Especially after re-reading the chapters and cringing...I shall try to fix them in the future, I promise.) An extra special thank you to Loor101 for the extra kicks in the rear!! Now I can't promise that I'll be able to update regularly, but everyone's dedication to this story has inspired me to make sure I finish it. I promise I won't leave it completely till the story is over. I just hope the next chapter doesn't take as long as this one...

**Letting Go Of Hope **

Chapter 8

….To Another Problem 

The red echidna blinked, dumbstruck. "…Sonic?"

A hand raised in greeting, along with a wide smirk across a fuzzy muzzle. "Yo."

Meanwhile Jade struggled to catch her breath as she watched the whole exchange. "…You…must…be…Knuckles." She wheezed.

Knuckle's eyes flickered over in acknowledgement of her presence, but he didn't answer. Instead, his head turned to the sounds of approaching gunfire and the men's shouts. They were drawing near once again. "I knew all that noise had to have something to do with you." Knuckles sneered.

But the blue hedgehog was still grinning, letting the snide remark roll off of him. He was too happy that the blunt Echidna was in one piece to care about what came out of his mouth.

One of the men's shouts came through loud , clear, and too close for comfort. "How far do you think they got?"

"Couldn't have gotten that far!"

Another answered sounding even closer. "I don't know, they were running pretty fast…."

Sonic glanced behind worriedly. "We gotta move…" He urged, grabbing hold of Jade's hand once again. Out of pure nervousness which he would never admit to, he grabbed Knuckle's hand as well , intending to pull him along also.

But the stubborn Echidna stayed true to his nature and snapped his hand out of the other's grip. Only years of knowing the hedgehog and all his mannerisms gave him the insight that something was wrong. Outwardly, Sonic was calm. He looked ready for action, but those who truly knew him could tell that the hedgehog was scared. His eyes were a little too wide, his breathing a little too fast. He glanced back too often and his legs kept shifting like he was itching to take off.

Now that, was truly amazing. Once again the Echidna was dumbstruck. What in the world could have gotten Sonic so freaked out? It was mind boggling.

Shaking his head, Knuckles smirked as he took a step backwards, towards the sound of the men. "What is the matter Sonic? Don't tell me a couple of over-landers have got you all spooked…"

This time the jibe did elicit a reaction from the hedgehog. He knew that his friend didn't have the slightest clue what he had undergone, the humiliation he had suffered or the fear of feeling truly trapped. The desperation that he had lost all connection with his home and friends. And he had missed the bull-headed Echidna. Despite all the times they butted heads. Like now. But it didn't mean that he was going to turn into a soft mush because of it. At least not with him.

"Listen Knuckles, you have no idea what these over-landers are like. These aren't Eggman's stupid henchmen. They're different." He snapped in response, the softness in his voice long gone.

"…Humans…" Jade weakly interrupted.

"Humans." Sonic corrected himself.

"You are truly scared." Knuckles answered raising an eye ridge in wonderment.

"You need to not take them for granted." Sonic countered, eyes narrowing.

Knuckles snorted. "I'm not afraid of any over-lander."

"Human." Jade and Sonic corrected at once.

It was then that the Echidna's eyes shifted over to the woman once again. "And who are you anyway?"

Jade blinked in disbelief at the unprecedented rudeness. She had to admit that she was excited to meet one of Blue….Sonic's friends. She was glad to see that they were well after he'd been so worried. He'd spoken so much about them and he had mentioned Knuckles' bluntness, but that didn't mean she was prepared for it.

Her eyes narrowed. "Nice manners lollipop, but I'm afraid I'm going to need to ask you to change the question a bit. Try some politeness." She snapped.

Knuckles just stared in shock. "Did you just call me lollipop?!?"

Sonic, of course, was doubled over in laughter. If he wasn't blue already, his face would be turning a nice shade of it from lack of oxygen.

Jade nodded back confidently. "Yeah I did. You look like a walking lollipop. And if you must know, Sonic knows what he is talking about. These guys are no joke, they-"

In mid rant, another gunshot was heard and a flock of birds took to the sky, frightened instinctively for their lives. All laughter stopped and even Knuckles grew quiet. Sonic was back to serious business. This argument was taking up precious time.

"Move now. Talk later." He commanded firmly.

But Knuckles still shook his head stubbornly. "Fine. You go your way, I'll go my way."

"Damnit Knuckles!" The frustrated hedgehog finally snapped. "What is so damn important down there anyway? Can't it wait?!?"

Knuckle's voice escalated as well. "If you must know, I'm sensing a chaos emerald down there! And I for one, care about getting home! You can stay here and rot for all I care, but I am not going to lose that emerald and I'm not going to let some over-…._human_ scare me away from it! "

"Uh guys, should we really be standing here shouting while the others are catching up?" Jade offered, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Why do you have to be so pigheaded?!?! I'm not saying we can't come back! Its just not safe right now, we have to -" A soft 'shuut' sound could be heard as one of those numbing darts flew by Sonic's fuzzy ear, nicking it. Instinctively, he reached a hand up to his now numb appendage and pulled his hand away to reveal bright blood covering his hand.

Knuckle's eyes narrowed. Sonic truly seemed out of his league this time if that dumbstruck expression on his face was any indication. With a snort of disgust, he took off running towards their pursuers.

He was almost as equally as fast as Sonic when the latter ran at a normal speed. When he hit light speed however, there was no hope for him to keep up. Nevertheless, his own speed was impressive.

Jade only blinked once before the shocked sounds of their hunters reached their ears.

"T-there's another one! A red one! Call base! Call--oof!"

"Alpha one, emergency code 112! Specimen has a --uggh!"

Sonic sighed and shook his head. "I have to go pull that idiot out of there, he's going to get himself hurt."

Jade only smiled and shrugged. "Sounds like he's winning to me."

Sonic gave her a pointed look to which she nodded her consent silently. "You're right, lets go."

The hedgehog held onto her hand once again and within seconds, they were running in the opposite direction and were once again back in the fray. A red blur danced in front of them and ran from guard to guard. Knuckles managed to get good solid punches in and left in his wake wheezing guards with cracked ribs and crushed noses. Jade could see that he really didn't need their help and wondered if her friend wasn't being just a tad bit paranoid….not that she'd blame him….

But then the reinforcements arrived. Guards with new guns and different ammo marched in with a look of determination on their faces. Their darts weren't meant to numb, they were a highly developed form of tranquilizer strong enough to bring down a herd of stampeding elephants. The effect on Sonic and Knuckles' small body, would likely put them into a coma.

And the red echidna was far too busy fighting his own batch of guards to notice these others sneaking up behind him. Sonic's eyes widened and without a thought, he ran towards the new comers, quickly picking up speed as he ran.

Soon he lost form to Jade's eyes and became nothing but a bright blue light that moved so fast she couldn't track him. All she could see and hear were the surprised sounds of the guards as many of them suddenly dropped and their guns shattered. "…Wow…" She breathed in awe, feeling both amazed and incredibly proud of her friend.

However, her amazement was cut short when the bright light abruptly took form once again, revealing Sonic and he didn't look smug or pleased with himself. He was doubled over, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his neck and cheeks. "Sonic!!" She shouted in alarm.

The blue hedgehog shifted his eyes towards her as he wheezed and fought off the waves of nausea that rolled over him. He didn't understand what was wrong, and he couldn't exactly move either.

Which was exactly what the remaining guards behind him were counting on. They were cautious and were taking careful aim. Jade couldn't believe her eyes and she stood in shock and fear for what seemed like an eternity before she took off running towards him. She wouldn't let them capture him let it happen….not when they were so close….

A red blur thankfully beat her to the guards and dealt with them as easily as he had dealt with the others. She ignored the screams and sounds of bones breaking as she dashed to Sonic's side. For a moment she was scared he'd been shot with something else. But a quick glance showed that his fur had no darts or needles sticking out of it. So…what was wrong?

She wasn't sure, but she knew that she had to get him out of there. With a strong sense of déjà vu, she picked up his wheezing form and started to take a few jogging steps back in the direction they had been heading.

"Knuckles! ….we have to get moving, now!"

The echidna looked up from punching in the latest guard's face. "Go! I'll stay behind and deal with these clowns. I'll catch up later!"

Jade wanted nothing more than to listen and turn tail and run, but the bundle in her arms stopped her. Sonic moved his head weakly. "…Don't…" He gasped. "…listen to him…"

It was obvious that he wouldn't leave comfortably unless his friend was with them. And she had a sinking suspicion that keeping him calm was of the utmost importance. "No! He won't leave without you! We leave, now!!" She commanded more forcefully, her voice growling slightly with her desperation.

Knuckle growled his own muffled curse as he dodged another guard's clumsy attack. He wanted to tell this human woman to ignore the thick headed hedgehog and just leave, but the worry in her voice coupled with how awful Sonic looked, stopped him from saying so. His eyes actually softened upon seeing the limp blue form. He hated to admit it but the emerald could wait…well, not really….but he would definitely come back to it as soon as he was sure that Sonic and the woman were safe with the others. It killed him to leave the emerald alone and calling out for him, but even he knew what the priorities were. With a frustrated sigh, he punched his untrained attacker in the face, chest and stomach before turned and ran to catch up with the human woman.

Jade smiled when she realized that he was finally joining them and ran faster now, desperate to reach a safe haven. Knuckles easily ran by her side, since she was no match for his own speed.

Sounds of their hunters still reached their ears from behind. Apparently the whole facility had been dispatched. Lucky, lucky them.

The sounds pushed Jade's legs to move faster and although her lungs burned and her eyes watered, she didn't dare stop. Knuckles stayed silent by her side and soon the only sounds she could hear was her own hard breathing and Sonic's wheezing coupled with the occasional cough.

After what seemed like hours, she asked, "Can we stop?" She no longer heard the others chasing after them, and was praying for a chance to stop and catch her breath.

"Just a little further." Knuckles urged as he took the lead. They were out of the deep forested area and already on the outskirts of the city. "We're almost there…so where to?"

"Far far away from here." She answered, taking his question a little too literally.

The echidna didn't bother hiding the roll of his eyes as they slowed to a jog. " Obviously, but do you know where to, exactly?"

'_Hospital…I have to get him to a hospital…' _She thought bitterly. '_Yeah …right….back to reality Jade.' _She shook her head, Sonic's cough bringing her out of her thoughts. "I just need to get somewhere safe where I can examine him properly." She admitted. "I'd take him to my home, but I live in the other direction, closer to where we just escaped from….I don't know where to go." She finished softly, feeling hopeless.

Knuckles simply snorted. "Yeah, well I do. I know where the others are. They're safe. We'll take him there."

Having a destination, and a plan made her sag with relief and gave her the energy to keep running till the horizon of the city disappeared as they finally entered it. And she was glad they made it when they had, Sonic's coughing had increased and he had started to swallow convulsively. "Knuckles…we need to take a break….I need to stop." For both Sonic's sake and her own, her lungs were abused and she felt like someone had been asphyxiating her. She thought it was obvious why Sonic would need the break.

Having already familiarized himself somewhat with the layout of the city, Knuckles led her to an all too familiar alley that he and Amy had been in only a few days ago. He stood guard at the entrance, and as soon as Jade settled herself into the hidden dark recess of the alley, she sat with Sonic on her lap and tried to take a look at him and decipher what was wrong. A small part of her instinctively knew but her training as a vet made her want to be sure. But Sonic didn't let her lay another hand on him before he pushed away from her and fell to his hands and knees, gagging.

As the sound of his pitiful dry-heaving reached Knuckles, he winced and kept his back towards the two in an effort to give the hedgehog his privacy. Jade on the other hand, felt compelled to try and help. She reached out a hand and started to rub his back, but the action caused several small quills to drop to the ground.(::) Alarmed, she pulled her hand away and settled for whispering soothing words and holding his hand throughout the ordeal as his empty stomach tried to empty itself even further.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that, but just like before, as soon as his stomach settled, he swayed and fell unconscious. Fighting back tears, she cradled his body against her own and caressed his head gently. '_I will not cry…..I will not cry….crying never solves anything…he'll be all right…' _

Of course just thinking the thought made the tears flow faster and she was soon crying softly and sniffling miserably. She clutched onto Sonic as if he were a teddy bear and found herself mumbling words of comfort even though she knew he couldn't hear her. The adrenaline was gone and the shock had left her. Only the bitter reality remained and after all she and Sonic had been through, she figured she could afford a small break down. 

Quite frankly her breakdown disturbed Knuckles in more than one way. One, because he never knew how to deal with the various emotional states of the opposite sex no matter what their species, and Two, because it made him worry that Sonic really was in a lot of trouble. Sure the two butted heads in almost everything, but that didn't mean he wanted anything to happen to the idiot.

He waited until the sounds of her sniffling subsided before he asked, "So…what's wrong with him?"

"He's poisoned." She answered as she laid Sonic gently on the ground and stood to stretch and pace.

"What?!?!?"

"…That place we were just running from….I had no idea that they were illegal…but I just discovered that they've been doing a lot of illegal testing. They…" She took a shuddering breath. "They tested one of their new drugs on Sonic….I don't know what they injected him with….aggh!! I'm so stupid! I should have taken the needle with me…I wasn't thinking!!"

Knuckles didn't really like stating the obvious, so he ignored that comment. "But he was fine…"

"No."

"No?"

"Before we ran into you he was really bad, worst than you saw him. I made him purge his stomach and he woke up feeling better, but I should have known that, that wouldn't have solved the problem. He needs the antidote. I think what they gave him was some mutated form of an already existing poison. Or it could be some new experimental drug. I'm just not sure…"

"So basically he had a relapse? …Why?"

"When he went into fight, the adrenaline rush and the accelerated heart rate pushed the poison through his system faster. That was why he had the relapse."

"Where do we get the cure?"

"I don't know yet, like I said, I have to get a good look at him and see what exactly he is infected with."

Knuckles sighed and shook his head. Only Sonic could get himself into such predicaments. He thought of the others and winced. They had wanted Sonic back and for him to be okay…at least they'd get one of their wishes.

"Well then what are we doing yapping? Lets get moving.." He suddenly commanded, walking out of the alley and pointing at a mansion atop a hill in the distance. "The others are there."

Seeing the mansion made Jade see red. She felt indignant on Sonic's behalf. The poor guy had been worried sick about his friends and it had been in vain. They had been living in the lap of luxury, while he had gone through hell. It wasn't fair. She turned to head back into the alley and pick him up for the hike, but was surprised to find him standing shakily at the entrance behind her and leaning heavily on the wall.

He was looking in the direction Knuckles had been pointing and whistled appreciatively. "Nice." He commented in a hoarse voice with a smile.

His reaction made Jade feel extremely small. Here she was silently cursing his friends for having better luck than he, and he had ignored that fact, simply happy for them. He truly had a huge heart that she couldn't help but admire.

"Sonic…sweetie…how are you feeling?" She answered , choosing not to comment on the mansion.

"Peachy-keen. …great even….as great as you can feel after being hit by a truck." He chuckled. "At least we got away from there huh?" He added, definitely in high spirits despite feeling as sick as he did. He was never one to complain about anything that bothered him and at the moment he was just ecstatic at the fact that they had made it out.

"This is great!!" He exclaimed with a bigger beaming smile.

Jade couldn't help but return the grin, but she quickly returned to doctor mode. "Okay hunny, I know you are excited, but you have to try to stay calm, okay?" She soothed. She was worried that too much stimulation would set off another attack.

He simply grinned and shrugged, not understanding her concern yet. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!" He urged, starting to take a few steps forward.

But Jade stood in his way and shook her head. " It's a long walk uphill, I think I should just carry you." She stated plainly.

Sonic's cheeks burned under his fur and he glanced at Knuckles expecting to see a snide smirk on his face. Amazingly enough, Knuckles remained stoic and simply walked in front of them and a few steps ahead, waiting. He just wanted to make sure they arrived safely, and then he was going back.

"I think I can walk Jade…" Sonic finally muttered, taking a few steps out of her reach.

She huffed in frustration. "Hm. Fine. But you take it slow."

"Fine, fine."

Taking it slow equaled walking slower than a pregnant snail. Knuckles was constantly two blocks ahead of them and felt like shoving them from behind. Or carrying them both. Sonic's impatient nature made him complain to his human companion every five minutes the entire way. He hated moving slow, and the screams of all the other…humans as they passed, made him want to reach the mansion even faster so that he'd stop causing pandemonium.

"Really Jade…I'm not going to fall apart….I can walk at a normal speed…."

After his whining, Jade figured that she was perhaps being a tad overprotective. The other people's reactions hadn't bothered her at all. Especially since she really did see him as a walking time bomb. She rather have them clear the streets than make him move fast unnecessarily. "Okay, we'll walk at a normal speed, if you promise to tell me the moment you feel funny. Deal?"

The blue hedgehog nodded so fast she thought his head might snap off his neck. " I promise. As soon as I feel even a little weird, I'll let you know."

She had to smile. "Okay, okay."

And with that, the trip that would have taken a least half an hour at the speed they had started out at, took fifteen minutes. Knuckles led them through the entrance expertly and oddly enough, stopped in front of the massive garage instead of the mansion. He knocked confidently and an all too familiar voice answered in a soft whisper.

"Its me Tails, I found someone you guys have been looking for…" Knuckles responded.

Jade had never seen a garage door open faster. She had also never seen a small golden fox with twin tails before. But she didn't have time to react. The one Knuckles had called Tails, was staring in shock at Sonic. Likewise, Sonic was staring at his friend in the same dumbfounded manner. "…Sonic…" Tails breathed in quiet disbelief as his eyes started to tear. "Sonic I---" He started to say something else, but someone pushed past him so fast that all Jade saw was a flash of pink and heard a very high pitched, "SONIC!!!!!!!!!!!" Before the pink flashed tackled the blue hedgehog to the ground and cuddled against him, sobbing into his shoulder.

* * *

(::) Loor101 was also kind enough to point out that little fact to me that I did not know. I had no clue that a hedgehog's quills fell out when they were sick. But it was mentioned and I wanted to make sure I used it, so thank you! 

A/N: I hope this chapter made up for all the wait, I really do. Again thank you all for your dedication to this story, I promise you that even though it may not seem like it, I do have a renewed idea of where I'm taking this story and hopefully we will all see the end to it before I'm an old lady.


	9. Chapter 9: Frustration

**Letting Go Of Hope **

Chapter 9

Frustration 

Usually he would have found someway to politely get out of the bone crushing grip. Usually, he would have laughed off her worry and made a joke.

This wasn't a usual situation.

This time he welcomed the over-exaggerated hug. Even if it did make him wince. His skin felt tender and her tight hold didn't exactly feel gentle. "H-hi Amy…" He wheezed out. "…Good to see you t-too." He managed to get out with a small smile.

His voice made the pink hedgehog hold on tighter. Hearing him made it that more real. This wasn't a figment of her imagination. Her precious Sonic really was here. He really was okay. He hadn't died some mysterious death and disappeared forever. He was back, and she had never felt more happy in her life.

And she didn't want to let go. She wanted to stay there forever. However, that didn't mean that some of her frustration didn't leak out.

She pounded a small fist on his right shoulder as she cuddled into his left side. "Don't you ever do that again!!…..Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She chastised as she repeatedly pounded on him. Her face was buried in his fur and she didn't notice him grimace every time she struck him.

But Jade did. She understood it was an emotional reunion, but she thought that enough was enough. She didn't mind Amy releasing her emotional stress through tears…but Sonic couldn't afford the emotional punches she was delivering. Before Amy could beam him one more time, Jade walked over and gently grabbed Sonic under his arms while pulling him upright. Of course this made Amy slide off of him, which she didn't enjoy one bit.

"Hey!!" She shouted indignantly while standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "What do you think you are doing…and who are you anyway?" She demanded.

The older human woman smiled. Sonic had described her perfectly as well. She was cute, and apparently obsessed with him, though Sonic had described it as, "I think she cares about me a lot." Which was obviously him being nice and non-egotistical. The girl had literally thrown herself all over him. Jade could also tell that he cared for her as well, especially with the way his face had lit up upon seeing her.

"I'm Sonic's friend." She answered. "Also…his doctor." Well, it wasn't a lie.

Amy's eyes had been narrowed in suspicion and jealousy, but upon hearing Jade's words, they widened in shock. "Doctor?!?" She turned and looked at Sonic, eyes scanning over him in search of injury. She spotted the areas where his fur had been shaved off. It was more than obvious, but made no sense. It made him look like he'd been in a fight and even through his fur on his face he seemed pale. "What's wrong?…What happened?" She demanded, all suspicion gone from her voice, replaced with genuine worry.

Sonic shrugged good-naturedly. "Nothing Amy. Everything's okay." He answered as he glanced at both Jade and Knuckles_. 'Later. I'll let them all know, just later..' _His look communicated. He didn't want to ruin the reunion with bad news.

Knuckles simply raised an eye ridge and shook his head. He had often been on the other side, wondering what the blue hedgehog was hiding. It felt odd to know the truth and watch him lie.

Amy's eyes narrowed once again. She also knew him well enough to know that such a response meant that there really _was_ something wrong. He never admitted it, even when it was obvious to everyone else. So his answer had made her nervous. But for now, she settled with being extremely happy that he was back. "Okay, ….if you say so." It was crystal clear that she didn't believe him, and it made Jade feel better about keeping it a secret for now.

She also hadn't realized that she had kept her grip on him until he wiggled free to head towards Tails. His brave best friend had been waiting on the side, just smiling and watching. His eyes were shiny with emotion and as he saw Sonic return the smile and head towards him, he finally broke down and ran to give him his own hug.

He was more gentle and did not tackle the hedgehog to the ground, instead he just clung on and squeezed. Sonic squeezed back and then stood back. "Miss me?" He questioned with a cocky grin.

Tails simply smiled and nodded. When he trusted his voice he answered. "I knew you'd come back." He whispered. "I just knew it."

And Sonic believed him. Tails always showed an incredible loyalty to their friendship. Always believing in him. Always trusting him to get out of any trouble, never fearing that he would fail. If he only knew how close he had been. Or that he still wasn't a hundred percent "safe".

He didn't want to tell them. They were so happy, why ruin it? Hadn't they worried enough about him? Even if he did tell them and tried to convince them that he felt fine, they'd constantly worry. It didn't feel right. Then again, maybe he didn't even have to. Maybe the relapse would not be repeated. He felt fine. The effects of the last attack had worn off, and he didn't feel the least bit odd.

What a lie. While he didn't feel like he was going to be sick, something felt off. No one knew one's body better than its owner. Even he could tell that while he was fine now, that like a python getting ready to strike, another attack was waiting to be triggered. He felt uneasy and nervous as well as sluggish. Almost the way one did when contracting the flu. He wished it was just the flu.

He was ripped away from his contemplation by a small bunny launching herself at him. "Sonic!!" She exclaimed, her voice reaching the octave that only young children seemed able to reach. "You're here!! You're okay!!" She continued, pulling back with a beaming smile. "Everyone was so worried!"

It was then a certain Chao appeared out of nowhere, nuzzling against Sonic's face and exclaiming its delight in its own special language.

He couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you guys are okay too!" Finally getting a chance to look around, he asked the obvious question. "Whose house is this?"

"Mine." Chris announced, finally stepping out of the garage. He'd waited politely for all of them to greet each other. He was so happy that they were finally reunited. "My name is Chris and everyone has been staying here with me…I'm glad you are okay too!"

His grandfather also stepped out and smiled warmly. "Glad to see that everyone is together once again. Its been quite stressful not knowing where you were… pleased to meet you! I'm Chris' grandfather."

Sonic nodded in greeting and was about to open his mouth, when Amy interrupted. "Where were you anyway? And why do you have a doctor with you? And why do you look like someone was running after you with scissors?" Her eyes suddenly darkened. "And if they were, who was it so I can teach them a lesson!!"

He sighed and shook his head with a small smile. Even though it felt like an eternity since he had seen her, she hadn't changed. "She's a friend too, Amy. Her name is Jade." He answered while glancing back at Jade.

"Okay. But that still doesn't answer my question."

"I…uh…"

Sensing his discomfort, and a need for a diversion, Knuckles cleared his throat. "Okay. Well, just wanted to make sure Sonic met up with you guys. I'm going back." He announced.

"Where are you going?" Tails asked immediately. They finally had everyone together…why leave?

"Chaos Emerald. I left it once already, I'm going back to get it."

"But-"

"See you later." He cut him off, not leaving room for argument as he turned to leave the front yard.

"But you can't!" Jade and Sonic both called out.

Which of course made everyone else look at them suspiciously.

"I doubt they are there anymore. They knew we were running, they won't be hovering around in the same area. Besides, I can get in there and out before they even know I was there."

"Still, I don't think- "

"Don't worry about me." He insisted, staring the veterinarian down. He quickly glanced at Sonic and back at her, indicating who he thought she should be worrying about. "I'll be fine. I think you should all get inside though. Being out in plain sight is not such a good idea."

She sighed deeply. "Be careful."

Her answer was him turning around and leaving, but he did lift a hand up as a sign that he had heard her and that he would.

Huffing in frustration, Amy puffed her cheeks out and placed her hands on her hips once again. "What is going on?!? Who are "they" and why does he have to be so careful?!?"

"Amy…"

"I want to know!" She shouted while stomping her foot.

Chris smiled. He understood her frustration and desperation for answers, but even he could see that neither Sonic or the doctor were comfortable about talking about it, for now. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and tried to gently nudge her back into the garage. "Um…why don't we all head inside? We'll be able to talk better in there…"

His grandfather nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes. Lets all go inside. You look exhausted." He commented while looking at Sonic. He then nodded at Jade. "You too young lady. Come. Lets all go in and get better acquainted."

It sounded like a good idea to everyone. In fact, only then when the older man mentioned it, did Jade feel like she was going to fall on her face. The last of her energy was spent and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a soft warm bed and sleep for hours. Even Sonic felt exhausted. He was never one for taking naps when he could explore, but this was a special case.

"Sounds good to me." He said while Jade nodded her consent.

Everyone piled back into the garage and then headed to the room they'd all been sharing. Sonic looked around curiously. His friends had been really lucky. He was glad. He wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt if they had been treated they way he had. They had even made new friends. Chris and his grandfather seemed very nice.

As they all settled in, lounging on chairs and beanbags, Chris excused himself. He returned soon with a tray full of cookies and juice. Everyone but Sonic dug in greedily. His stomach clenched painfully at the thought of eating anything, let alone something sweet. It was his stomach's reminder that he had been sick not too long ago.

Jade immediately noticed, but did her best to not gain him unwanted attention. But she knew that he definitely needed to rehydrate.

"Chris, do you have any ginger-ale? Crackers?"

He blinked at her, understood. Ginger-ale and crackers was a common combination for him when his stomach was upset, and not wanting to embarrass her, he left to get some.

Once he returned she took some for herself, and eyed Sonic till he got the hint and took some for himself as well. That he would obey her wishes so easily, made her feel good. They had come a long way in their friendship in a short time. Chris also took note, but didn't bring attention to it either.

Between the munching, Amy tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

"Well?" Sonic countered with a smirk. He loved bothering her.

"Sonic!!" She half shouted half whined. "Aren't you going to tell us what happened?"

He shrugged and waved a hand nonchalantly. "Why do I have to go first? Am I really the only one that showed up in this world by myself? Did you all arrive here together?" He asked knowing that the answer would be no. The chaos emeralds just didn't work that way.

"No….but we weren't that far away from each other either…" Tails countered quietly.

Sonic probably hadn't been too far either, until he'd been moved to that horrible facility.

"We just want to know why it took so long for us to meet up with you." Amy added. "We all began to think that you were still back home….that somehow the emeralds had not transported you too…that you were-…that …" She stopped as her throat tightened.

The heavy silence that followed indicated exactly what everyone had thought. At least once.

"Ha! That's how much faith you guys have in me?" He teased. But at their uncomfortable shifting and silence, he smiled softly. "Its okay. I'm here." He whispered.

"Please Sonic, …just tell us. Why did it take so long? Were you hurt?" Amy instinctively asked, figuring that all the secrecy was about his pride and him not wanting to admit that he'd been injured. Maybe that was how he'd met Jade.

"…No… I wasn't…"

"So?"

He said nothing and glanced at Cream, holding onto Cheese as if he were a teddy bear. She was listening intently too. But he could not tell his story in front of her. She was so sensitive and he didn't want to upset her.

Chris' grandfather followed his gaze, and seemed to understand. "Come on Cream and Cheese, I think it'll be better if we just go watch some more of Tiki taki doodle." He suggested, referring to one of the shows they had both become addicted with. "They're not saying anything interesting anyway." He added with a wink.

Cream was undecided. It sounded like a good idea, but…"…But…I want to know what happened too…" She said as Cheese nodded in agreement.

"I know, but I think it'll be better if the big kids talk first." He countered.

She seemed to think it over for a minute, and after looking at everyone, she nodded. "Okay." She consented. Then, she walked over to Sonic and gave him an extra hug and a peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you are okay." She repeated.

Then she allowed herself to be gently ushered out of that side of the room and to the other where the television was located. There, he raised the volume enough that the child wouldn't be able to hear the conversation, but low enough that they could still have it. He also stayed with her so that she wouldn't feel lonely. Besides, Chris could always fill him in.

Sonic was relieved that she wouldn't hear the details of his ordeal, but now his only excuse from telling the tale was gone. When he looked back at Tails and Amy, they were waiting expectantly. Jade nodded encouragingly. _'Its okay' _Her eyes urged him. She didn't want to push him, but since this was apparently such a big secret, the sooner it was out, the sooner she could examine him without it being suspicious. Of course, if she had felt that it was an emergency she would have blown his secret immediately. For now she was content with knowing that for now they were safe.

Sonic remained silent for a moment despite her encouragement. Reminding her of his stubbornness. But he finally took a big breath and began. "Well, after the explosion-…"

His story didn't last long. Of course he had left out certain details. His loneliness and desperation for example. The horrible living conditions and his embarrassment. Of course, he'd even left out being poisoned. He'd watched both of his friend's eyes widen. Amy's were moist with emotion. Even without the "gory" details she apparently imagined them and was getting upset. Which was what he had been trying to avoid.

"How…" She whispered. "How could they be so cruel?"

No one seemed to know how to answer that and silence reigned once again.

"Is this what you meant Chris? About it not being so pretty?" Tails asked the young boy.

His answer was a sad nod.

"How…" He added "How were you able to get out?" Now looking back at Sonic.

"With Jade's help." He answered evasively.

Amy's view of the doctor improved greatly then. Jealousy turning into respect. But Tails' eyes narrowed in rare suspicion. "Then why did it take so long?"

"Well, ..uh…"

"Sonic, its okay." Jade intervened. "I know he rather not say it, so I will." She added as she filled in the gaps about their escape to the story.

When she was done, Amy allowed the tears to pour freely as she stared at Sonic with sympathy. Tails also stared at him sadly, but said nothing. Sonic remained quiet, staring at the floor.

"But you are okay now right?!" Amy pleaded "That's all over…" She added hopefully.

Still looking at the floor, Sonic shook his head. "No." He answered calmly.

"Whatever he was injected with is still flowing through him." Jade added solemnly.

She gasped and shook her head. She wanted nothing more than to grab onto him and hold him. To shake it out of him, that it was a mistake. Or maybe this was a nightmare. Her precious Sonic was poisoned.

Tails was quiet as he watched his friend. He seemed fine, he didn't look sick. Not really. ………Okay, he did. Who was he kidding? Hiding from reality wasn't going to help.

In frustration, Amy rounded on Jade and pointed at her accusingly. "Well? What are you waiting for? Fix this!" She demanded. "You're a doctor right? Fix it!"

"Amy…" Sonic started, trying to calm her before she said something she shouldn't.

But Jade wasn't offended. She agreed. "I fully intend to. I didn't want to rush right into it while you were all so happy at having him back." She countered. "But now that I know he is somewhere safe, I can go and get what I need."

Sonic blinked at that. "What you need?"

She waved her empty hands and pockets at him. "Kind of in a rush remember? I don't exactly have the tools to examine you."

"Oh." He answered feeling stupid.

She smiled and gently patted him on the head. "I can go and find what I need at the medical supply store. I may not have known where we could stay, but I do know where the store is, I've been there often."

"…I'll go with you…"

"No Sonic. Stay here with your friends. Catch up. Relax. Rest." She instructed. She then headed over to Chris' grandfather and spoke to him softly. He nodded and stood, leaving Cream and Cheese to their program.

"We'll be back soon." They announced as they both headed out.

Amy sniffled and wiped her tears as Sonic smiled softly at them both and went to join Cream in front of the television. She was more than happy to share her new show with him. She, ignorant of course of the previous discussion, happily rambled on about the show and all the characters.

Sonic simply smiled and nodded when appropriate. "That's great Cream." He'd fill in when it seemed she was waiting for a response.

Chris laughed. "I'm starting to wonder if introducing her to this show was such a good idea. She can never get enough of it!"

Sonic laughed. "How long has she kept you watching it?"

"Too long sometimes." Chris continued to tease.

Cream puffed her cheeks out cutely "it's a great show!" She countered while Cheese chirped in agreement.

"I know." Both boys chimed with a shared smile.

Tails hopped into the seat next to Sonic while Amy sat on the floor in front of them. "Can't we watch something else?" She asked.

Tails nodded. "I know you love the show Cream, but we never get to watch anything else."

"Oh….okay." She consented begrudgingly because she knew that they were right.

Amy picked up the T.V. guide and flipped through it. "Oooh!! Look! There's some program about how to get boys to notice you! " She exclaimed happily while batting her eyes upwards at Sonic.

He pointedly ignored her and rolled his eyes. "No way."

"Yeah, eww!" Tails agreed.

"Well, too bad!" She laughed as she changed the channel.

"Ugh." All the boys whined as the girls got fully immersed in the talk show.

As they continually fought over which channel to watch, Sonic caught both of his friends occasionally glancing at him as if he was going to explode, or disappear. He really wished they didn't know. Already their worry was shining through. But he ignored them both and allowed them to stare at him as much as they wanted. He still couldn't believe that he was with them. That he had gotten out of that horrible demonic place that seemed to have risen from the very gates of hell. All right, so he wasn't exactly healthy, but he was free. Freedom was so very precious to him and now he appreciated it more than ever.

Sitting on the couch and watching Tails and Amy fight over the remote was both amusing and nostalgic. "Tails!! Change it back, they were going to show the best ways to pucker your lips for the perfect kiss!!"

"Amy, ten minutes of that show was enough! I want to watch the Discovery channel!

"But that's boring!! Mine is educational!"

"Its disgusting!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Mine is more important!"

"No, its boring! Why is learning about mechanics and human anatomy so important? Knowing how to kiss is very important!"

At which point Sonic just sighed.

"Can we just watch some more Tiki taki doodle?"

"No!" All three chorused

"Hmph."

"Maybe we should just pick a neutral channel." Chris suggested and switched it to the game channel where Family Feud was on air. "There, see?"

"Oooh" The girls chorused and even Tail's interest perked. Now this was something to watch.

As the others got fully immersed in the show and began to shout answers, Sonic was getting drowsy and felt his body weigh down as he started to fall asleep. His nap was cut short however when the channel cut to a commercial that left him feeling cold.

"…The formula for beautiful flawless skin in the palm of your hands, just call 1800-555-9987" The commercial continued to ramble on about some beauty product, but that was not what had him sitting upright and at attention. It was the initials of the company endorsing it.

He had seen those initials many times before this last week alone. They were burned into his memory. "….Its them…" He whispered in awe, looking around quickly for something to jot down the information.

"What's "them"? Amy asked, coming out of her trance with the product to pay attention to what he was saying.

He pointed at the screen with the pencil Chris had handed him. "The jerks who had me captive. Its them."

* * *

A/N: Well! I made it in less than a year! Mwahaha, improvement! Hope you guys enjoyed. And they're finally together! Yay!! Thank you soooo much for all of your support! You guys are truly awesome. 


	10. Chapter 10:Double Whammy

* * *

**Letting Go Of Hope **

**Chapter 10**

**Double Whammy **

She had to remember to breathe. Breathing was basically essential, but it had suddenly become so laborious. In and out, slow and steady, keep the heart pumping. It wasn't that hard was it? She'd managed so far. Actually, if it wasn't for the passing scenery keeping her attention, she probably would have passed out long ago. Chris' grandfather had kept silent as he drove through the sleepy roads, but still noticed her shaking frame and restless hands.

"I'm guessing it was a very rough day." He commented softly with his eyes on the road.

She couldn't help but snort. "You could say that sir."

"Not sir, Chuck. Call me Chuck."

"Chuck. Sorry…..I-…it's just…it's a little overwhelming, I guess."

"You've been through a lot." It wasn't a question.

"It doesn't feel real." She added. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from some bizarre nightmare after eating some spicy Mexican food before going to bed."

"Well, nightmare or not, its all over now." He commented lightly, glancing to her at a red light with a small smile.

"I'm not so sure…." Jade whispered as she thought of a certain blue hedgehog whose life was now in her hands. Waiting for her to heal him and keep him bright eyed and bushy tailed. "I keep feeling like I'm missing something….I don't know." She sighed in frustration, running a shaky hand through her tangled hair.

"Well I for one, am getting a different vibe. Everything will be all right, you'll see. You'll patch Sonic up and all of those little guys are going to be a lot happier."

Jade nodded for his benefit and smiled. "I hope so." She agreed, if only not to be rude.

Finally arriving at the supply store, and entering, her shaking only intensified. Sonic's condition was not only odd, but worrying because as she had told him, she had no idea what they had injected him with. She only hoped that a blood sample would be productive. However, walking around the store and realizing that everything she would need amounted to a small private office's supply of equipment, made her realize that she truly wasn't thinking clearly.

"Um, …Chuck…" She started meekly while tapping him gently.

Turning from looking at different equipments, Chris' grandfather simply smiled warmly. "Yes, my dear?"

"I really, really hate to ask this, but…I'm going to need a lot of things and…"

"I understand. Please, don't worry about it."

"I'm so sorry, its so tacky. But I really don't have much money on me otherwise I would never be so rude…"

"Jade." Chuck cut her across sharply and caught her shaking hands between his own. "I was planning to pay for everything anyway. Please, just grab what you need and don't worry about the cost. I want to help as much as you do, trust me. So since I have no skills in the medical profession, at least I can help in this way."

Mutely, she nodded and squeezed his hands before pulling away gently. Chuck said nothing else and just turned to continue looking at the various equipment. And so the shopping spree began. But instead of a race to grab the latest trends, Jade rushed to grab the correct syringes and other medical tools she'd be needing. She didn't dare look at the total at the checkout, and said nothing more about it.

But she felt much better. With the proper tools in hand, she began to feel more confident that she was going to be of help and that everything was, as Chuck had said, going to be okay.

That was until, they arrived back at the mansion and found nothing but worry on everyone's faces, a flurry of voices and a certain blue hedgehog pacing the length of the room seeming very agitated while the others tried to calm him down. Family Feud was blaring in the background, a marathon in full swing as the last winning family struggled to win another round. In short, it looked like total chaos.

"What is going on?" Jade couldn't help but demand as her brain finally processed it all.

Sonic seemed to have not heard her as he turned about to continue his pacing. Chris was the first to acknowledged their arrival as Tails, Amy and Cream were busy trying to get Sonic to calm down. "There was a commercial--.."

"It was them, Jade." Sonic cut across calmly, having stopped in the middle of his pacing as if hearing Chris' voice had snapped him out of his stupor. "They make cosmetics."

Jade could only blink at this new information. She didn't have to ask who "they" was. She knew who "they" was, what she didn't know was, "How do you know that?"

Sonic shook his head. "He was there, in the commercial. Dr. Cameron. Promoting some product and how it was good for the skin. I recognized the warehouse's initials first, but then he came out with this smile and he just…"

"I get it." She cut across quickly, seeing that it was upsetting him. She hadn't thought of it before, but it'd make sense that Sonic would be slightly traumatized. If not fully by his recent experience. She didn't blame him for hating Dr. Cameron. She hated the bastard herself.

Her stomach turned slightly as she realized that a cosmetics business made sense. All those tests and making sure the fur was healthy during examinations should have alerted her earlier that something was wrong. But she was fresh out of veterinary school and naïve.

Why should she have suspected foul play? She had thought she'd been hired to help all those poor deformed animals already in pain because of man's tinkering and here she had been helping to make it worst. How many other animals had she made sick by injecting them with who-knows-what and rubbing crap on their skin?

"They're going to keep doing it." Sonic's words broke her out of her thoughts. "They're not going to stop."

She wasn't sure what to say that. "It's a money maker." She added lamely.

"I've got to stop them."

"Whoa, whoa. You?! You are not going to stop them."

"Oh yes, I am."

"You can't leave again!" Amy immediately protested. "I won't let you."

"We just got back together again…" Tails added softly.

"Sonic --…" Jade opened her mouth to add her own argument, when she noticed that he was starting to sweat through his fur once again. "We need to argue over this when you are better. Come with me and we'll get it done privately."

Sonic sighed and took a deep breath. He felt hot and shaky, but otherwise fine. Besides he didn't know if it was due to the poison plaguing his system or the sudden temper that had flowed through him. It took a lot to get Sonic the Hedgehog upset, but when you did achieve it, watch out.

"Okay." He answered breathlessly.

"Excuse us, you guys." Jade then said to the group as she moved to a room that Chuck had designated a good place for her to examine the blue hedgehog.

"I'm coming too." Amy announced, stepping forward to follow.

Finding that it was not her place to argue the fact since she was still basically a stranger to the group, Jade stayed quiet so that Sonic could address the matter and make it known if he cared whether Amy was in the examination area or not.

But the blue hedgehog remained quiet and simply strolled forward, leading the way. Interesting. Then again it made sense. She was sure he needed some normality back and perhaps Amy insisting on tagging along was normality for him.

Inside the room, Jade went into veterinarian mode. With the proper tools around her, she felt confident and more secure. All business, she forced herself to distance herself from Sonic as a friend and focus on him as a patient, for now.

Amy watched Jade arrange all kinds of tools and equipment around the small guest room. Some she recognized, others she frowned at. But she stayed quiet and tried to discreetly glance Sonic's way. He was eerily quiet, and so unlike himself sitting on the bed, braced as if he were contemplating jumping off. Staring at the floor, his eyes flickered back and forth in deep thought, or perhaps he was reliving something. Maybe he was just dazed by the poison.

Whatever it was, she wanted to say something. But she had nothing to say. The examination hadn't begun, and for the first time when it came to her blue hedgehog, she felt slightly self conscious. She'd only followed to….what? To make sure Jade wouldn't hurt him? She knew that was silly. But …she did know that she was tried of secrets and not knowing. She wanted to be there when Jade discovered what was wrong. She didn't want to be in the dark anymore when it concerned Sonic. She…wanted to be there for him.

The snapping of gloves made both hedgehogs' heads snap up to look at Jade, but instead of being apologetic for startling them, she simply moved to Sonic's side and started the examination by gently studying his eyes.

Then with her new stethoscope, she began listening to his lungs and heart. "Your heart beat is pretty fast. Is that normal for you?" She had to ask. There was so much about his anatomy that she didn't know.

"No." He answered in monotone. He seemed so distant as if he had just shut down since the beginning of the examination.

"What is your normal temperature?" She asked and as he answered, she gently slipped a thermometer under his tongue, while gently palpitating his body. When she was done, the thermometer beeped and showed that while he did have a slight fever, it wasn't bad enough to be a concern. Funny, because during the attack his body had felt like it had been on fire.

"Lay down for me Sonic." She instructed and he did so without question.

Amy however, didn't know how personal the examination was going to get and readied herself to leave if need be.

But Jade simply started to palpitate around Sonic's midsection feeling for abnormalities and tenderness slightly adding more pressure as she went. Everything was fine and she nearly sighed with relief, until..

"Ah….ow." Sonic hissed slightly as her hands touched the most sensitive area on his stomach.

"Hey!" Amy couldn't help but shout in protest, her mind thinking that the action had been done on purpose. Logically she knew it hadn't, but it was a reflex to react.

"Easy, easy." Was Jade's hushed words, doing her best to soothe both at the same time as she then rubbed Sonic's stomach gently in a apologetic move.

After checking his ears, nose and throat, the throat being especially red and swollen, the only part left to the examination was the blood sample. She let him breathe for a moment after being poked and prodded so much as she prepared the syringe.

Amy smiled encouragingly and Sonic did his best to grin back, but he looked tired.

Jade was suddenly in his vision once again and taking advantage of the fur shaved off one of his arms, she tied the rubber band on his upper arm and began to poke around for the vein.

The blue hedgehog had suddenly stiffened under her hold as she swabbed his skin with alcohol and tapped the air out of the needle. Trying to lighten the mood, she grinned at him.

"Someone afraid of needles?"

" I do hope you don't mean me."

"I think I do mean you." She continued to tease.

"I've faced worst things than needles. They don't scare me." He answered a little more defiantly, buying into the teasing.

"Hmm. I don't know. Maybe I should have Amy hold your hand."

Amy nearly giggled. "Its okay Sonic! I don't like them either. I can hold your hand if you want." She added, though she batted her eyes a little more than was necessary.

He simply held his head higher and held his arm out a little further. "They don't bother me." He answered.

Though when the needle nearly pierced his skin, he tensed slightly and glanced away, making Jade laugh and pat his arm reassuringly when she pulled the needle out.

She put the 3 test tubes of his blood on the small table available to her, next to the proper chemicals and microscope. Some tests would only take an hour or so, others would take a day or two to show the results. But for now the physical part of the examination was over and she could relax slightly.

Then something occurred to her that made her happy that Amy had chosen to tag along. "Amy, sweetie, I'm actually going to need your help with something."

Eager to help, the pink hedgehog snapped to attention. "What? If it'll help Sonic, I'll do it."

"Great! Because I'm going to need a blood sample from you too."

"What?"

" I can look at Sonic's blood till I'm blue in the face, but I'll never be able to see what is wrong if I don't have a healthy sample to compare it to. And since you are both hedgehogs, it makes the most sense to compare your blood to his."

Amy fought not to pout. She hadn't been joking when she had mentioned that she didn't like needles either.

But it was a quick procedure and she had a small pleasure in pressing against Sonic's side when the needle pierced her skin.

When it was over, she placed her hands on her hips and allowed herself to pout slightly at Sonic. "I hope you appreciate that Sonic! It hurt!"

He smiled gently and nodded. "Of course I do Amy."

Such a simple comment, and yet it meant the world to her. She beamed at him and hopped off the bed, glad that she had been of help and had done her duty.

"Okay Sonic, for now I'm done taking a look at you physically." Jade suddenly said bringing back their attention to her. "But I need you to be honest with me at all times. Do you understand? Again, obviously I'm not familiar with your anatomy or what is normal with you, so you need to tell me when something is wrong. I can't guess or pull it from thin air. You know I don't know what I'm dealing with so your cooperation is important."

He nodded mutely and then moved to get up from the bed.

"Uh-uh." She interrupted the movement. "Sit back down mister."

Sonic couldn't help but raise a brow in amusement. "Yes ma'm ! Whatever you say Colonel needle!"

"Don't be a wise guy, so? Tell me."

"Um, what?"

"Your symptoms. What do you feel that is wrong with you?"

He gave her a deadpan look. Was she serious? "You saw what was wrong with me."

"I saw you being unable to breathe….but obviously there is more to it than that. I can't see what only you can feel." She explained. "It'll help me know what I am looking for if I know what the symptoms are."

A small noise made Sonic's attention snap to Amy for a brief moment. She hated hearing that he had, had these attacks and more details of how he was feeling was only going to make it worst.

"I really don't know…" He started lamely, trying to spare Amy and glancing at her discreetly.

Now Jade returned the deadpan look. She understood, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she cared about sparing Amy from any details. "You're not serious. Didn't I just tell you, you have to be honest? Do I have to treat you like a child?" Before he could answer, she mocked the voice of a nurse speaking to child. "Be a good little boy and you'll get a lollipop!"

Sonic blinked at the mockery at first, but then smiled. "I like cherry flavor."

Jade groaned and then sighed. "If you weren't already sick and hurt, I'd smack you right now."

Amy carefully choose to ignore that comment and glanced at Sonic. "Its okay Sonic. I can handle it, tell her the truth."

He sighed and breathed in deeply, letting it out slowly. "I don't feel good." He said simply as if it would answer all.

"Sonic."

She was giving him the chastising motherly tone, but she didn't know him well enough to know that, that much of an admission was an accomplishment in and out of itself. But Amy understood and stayed quiet before she spooked him from revealing anymore.

"No, really. I feel weird. I feel….." Actually it was hard to put into words. "Shaky. Nervous? Unsteady." He added trying to find the perfect word.

"That's it?" She probed.

"Uh…no. My head hurts a little and my stomach. But its more like because its gotten messy and I still haven't fully recovered."

She nodded understandingly. "Other than that you feel fine?"

He laughed. Like there could be more wrong with him? Wasn't that enough? "Yeah. After the first attack, I felt fine. Perfect. Nothing was wrong. Now I don't feel horrible, but its taking longer to bounce back." He admitted. "I do feel better since before you left though."

"Yet you were sweating."

He shrugged. He didn't know what to say to that. But Jade had a good idea as to why.

"And during the attack, what did you feel?"

That was even harder to describe. "Nothing."

Now she simply glared at him.

"No. I mean it. It was weird. I'd feel the adrenaline rush, feel my heart pounding, then I guess I'd feel dizzy. Lightheaded, everything would go black around the edges and I'd feel like I was drowning. Like I couldn't get any air in. But it was as if I was unconscious and conscious at the same time. "

Amy winced at the description. How horrible. And he'd gone through something like that twice? Her mind reeled with it, but she kept her word and was brave about it.

Jade simply nodded in encouragement for him to continue.

He shrugged. "It was like I knew I was getting some air in, but it wasn't enough and then I think I would just pass out. Because I can't remember anything else until my stomach suddenly flips." He shrugged. "Then it'd get better. I guess."

Jade nodded, her own heart squeezing sympathetically. "Okay." She finally said and then breathed a deep sigh. "But nothing warns you that an attack is going to start? Aside from the dizziness?"

He shook his head. "No."

So it was like being sideswiped. Everything was fine, going along as you pleased, then something suddenly rams into you and turns your life upside down.

But the pink hedgehog was curious. "I don't understand something. What triggers the attacks?"

Sonic held his hands up in a "Beats me" gesture.

Jade ran a hand through her hair. "Actually, that was my next point. I think adrenaline is a key factor as well as bringing your blood pressure up in any way."

"Really?" Amy pressed.

"The first attack occurred because Sonic had just been injected with the poison and his body fought against it immediately. But the second attack only occurred after Sonic started to fight. Only after he'd been running. And then when I came back, he was upset and the sweat was a sign that he was close to triggering yet another attack."

Amy simply stared at the blue hedgehog now. If Sonic had thought his friends treated him like a ticking time bomb before, her new look only intensified the feeling.

"Well, for now. I think you should lie down and rest." Jade instructed, breaking the sudden awkward silence.

"But the others. Those jerks down at the warehouse, I --"

"Not now. We aren't going to do anything about that right now. You come first. If you aren't a hundred percent how do you think you are going to help them?"

"I don't have to be a hundred percent, I--"

"I say you do." She cut across sharply. "So you are going to get some rest, I'm going to see what is eating at you, we'll fix it and then we can go take care of the scum buckets."

Sonic couldn't help but grin at her logic. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

"I win?"

"You win."

She started to smile. But his voice prevented her from doing so as he added. "For now."

She sighed and turned to the suddenly more reasonable pink hedgehog. "Is he always this difficult?"

Amy simply smiled. "He's Sonic." She answered as if that explained it all. And to his friends, it did.

But Sonic did comply and laid across the bed that only moments ago had served as his examination table. He leaned against the headboard with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed at the knees. His foot tapped in midair and his eyes closed, but he obviously had no plans on falling asleep.

"I thought you were going to try to get some sleep."

"You only said I had to rest. You said nothing about sleeping." He argued, but his eyes remained closed. Okay, he admitted to himself. He was a little bit tired. Worn out slightly.

Jade shook her head and smiled slightly. She couldn't seem able to win an argument with him. But just seeing him joke around made her feel empowered somehow. She could do this. She'd be able to help him.

Energized, she sat at the table to start testing his blood, as Amy slipped out. The pink hedgehog wanted Sonic to get his rest and nothing interesting was happening anymore. Now it was just a waiting game.

"You guys are amazing." Jade whispered after a small while. She lifted her head to smile at the blue hedgehog, but stopped short. His head had tipped forward and he was so still that she couldn't help but concentrate on searching for a sign that he was breathing. But almost as soon as she looked for it, she saw his stomach rising and falling with the rhythm of a deep sleep.

Apparently she had won a small victory. He was getting the sleep he needed.

At the same moment, a red Echidna was moving stealthily through the large trees that he had raced through not too long ago. Alert, he tensed at the very sounds of fallen rustling leaves.

Honestly, seeing his blue furry friend as messed up as he had been made him both want to teach his captors a lesson, and stay well away from them at the same time. Not even Robotnik had ever messed up Sonic so badly.

Not that, that moron ever had the brains to do so anyway. This, …this was a new kind of evil.

His sneaker suddenly landed on a small cylindrical object, nearly making him trip. "What the--" Looking down, he spotted a discarded tranquilizer dart.

So the bastards hadn't even bothered to clean up after themselves. Wonderful.

With a disgusted snort, he kicked the tranquilizer away and then closed his eyes, focusing on the pull he felt of the emerald. It wasn't far off, but the walk seemed longer since he stopped almost after every step to listen.

It was eerily quiet, especially for the woods. His ears strained to hear creatures rustling around. He understood that the earlier fight must have frightened them, but he thought that by now they would have returned. Their absence made this part of the woods seem more….demonic. That not even the goodness of pure innocent animals could inhabit it.

"Man Knuckles, get your act together." He muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts. It wasn't like him to be even slightly spooked this way.

With a deep breath he opened his eyes and focused on the emerald and walked towards its pull. For the first time since he entered the woods, he allowed his shields to lower slightly and focus only on the emerald.

Which was his first mistake.

"Hey…wasn't that one with the hedgehog thing?" One of Cameron's lackeys whispered to another. Both hidden in the trees watching the echidna from behind. Contrary to Knuckles' belief, they were attempting to clean up after themselves. Punishment for having let the prized freak get away.

"Yeah." The other whispered. "Took down almost all the men by himself."

"What are these things?!"

"Hell if I know, but I do know that the Doc wouldn't mind a replacement for the blue freak….get my drift?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't tell me you're afraid you pansy."

"Hellz naw."

"Then let's go."

"Radio the others first."

Knuckles was getting frustrated. He could clearly feel the emerald, but he couldn't spot it. Literally, he walked in a slow circle, straining his eyes. It felt so strong… underground? It was probably underground… hidden. Waiting for him.

Just as he knelt to start to dig where he felt the pulse the strongest, he felt something cold and hard press against the back of his neck.

"Don't move you….whatever the hell you are."

Knuckles froze in shock, but his body was already tense for the upcoming fight. "Yeah?" He sneered. "Or else what?"

"Or else I make swiss cheese out of your sorry freakish ass."

Frowning and feeling his body temperature rise in anger, the red echidna got up and turned. "I dare you." He growled out raising his fists and falling into his favorite fighting stance.

But a quick glance with his eyes revealed that he was surrounded. The same jerks who had been chasing after Sonic were back, except for those that had been seriously hurt, courtesy of him and Sonic.

Had he seriously been that out of it while focusing on the emerald? Obviously, the answer was yes. Idiot.

"That's right freak. You're surrounded. So don't try anything funny." The apparent leader of the goons continued to threaten.

"I'm not the funny guy type. Sorry." He sneered.

"Whatever tough guy. Hands up, nice and slow. Let's go. Come quietly and you don't get hurt. " Another lackey commanded from another side of the circle they had formed.

"There's a problem with that." Knuckles started to comment as his hands started to come up slowly into a surrender position as he made the second mistake. "I'm not really the quiet type either." He finished as he shot a fat fist quick as lightning into the leader's nose, breaking it instantly and making him drop the gun.

All at once the explosions of triggers being pulled at once filled the too quiet air, and Knuckles barely had time to drop to the ground and make himself a harder target.

Kicking out the legs out from under a couple of the guards, he jumped over their fallen bodies to send his fists flying into the others, striking hard, striking fast. He didn't even aim, he just hit with all he had.

But he was already making his last and final mistake. Multiple times. He kept ignoring the fallen weapons and just as he reached his fist back to break another's nose, a loud 'bang' was the last thing he heard as a sharp sting struck his back and everything turned black.

As he lost conciousness, the leader of the goons laughed as he pressed a hand gently to his nose. "Nob so duff now are you?" He sneered as he struggled through the pain to breathe through his mouth.

Chris couldn't help but frown as he watched Jade walk out of the room she had been examining Sonic in, with a face he wasn't hoping he'd see. He'd wanted her to come out joyful and hopeful. Reassuring them that everything was going to be fine.

But the look on her face said the contrary. The worst part was that she probably thought she was doing a good job at hiding it.

"What's wrong?!" Tails asked as soon as he saw her.

"What is it?" Amy added, suddenly tense and worried.

Ah, so he wasn't the only one who saw it.

Their startled expressions snapped her out of her daze and she struggled to smile at them. "Hey guys…" She muttered. "You don't have to hover around, he's all right …he's sleeping."

"You don't sound like he's all right." Chris couldn't help but comment. He hated to push her, but she looked like she had seen a ghost.

With a shaky sigh, she laughed and went to sit at the couch. "I…I can't help him…" She whispered so low that he almost asked her to repeat it, except he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it again.

"What??" Amy all but screamed. "What do you mean you can't help him?! What kind of doctor are you?!"

"Amy please, you'll wake him.." Jade muttered.

"I don't care!" She insisted, but her voice had dropped in octave. "What do you mean?! I thought you could fix this!"

Jade closed her eyes and let out another shaky breath. "So did I."

"Jade…please. What is it? Why can't you help him?" Chris pushed. "Is it something you need? I'm sure we can find a way to get it for you…"

"No Chris, no…its not that."

"Then what?" Tails joined in. "Is he…is he dying?" He asked, afraid to death of what the answer might be, but wanting to rip the band-aid off. He was just glad that Grandpa Chuck had instinctively kept Cream out of the way once he had returned.

Everyone waited on bated breath as if any air was exhaled it would impact the answer.

"No. Not right now."

Well….they weren't quite sure if that was a relief.

"Right now?" Amy breathed the answer, her eyes watering. "So….so…."

"I can't cure him. I- I don't have what I'd need. It's mutagenic. The poision is mutagenic. The only way to cure him would be to introduce the counter…the antidote."

"So make the antidote!!" Amy nearly shouted once again. "Please!" She pleaded as if Jade really was refusing to help of her own accord.

Tears rolled down silently out of the doctor's eyes. "I can't …only he'd have it… the doctor at the facility." She whispered.

Silence reigned as that information sinked in.

"And…and if he doesn't get the antidote?" Tails asked, because yet again someone had to.

"I've only done a few basic tests, but already the poison has shown its ugly teeth. The poison steals the blood's oxygen." She began to explain, reminding herself to keep the doctor jargon simple. " But all at once. Completely. Slows down the blood almost to a complete stop, makes the heart work harder trying to get it flowing again, I'm surprised he hasn't complained about chest pains…" She added almost trailing off subject. " That's why he feels like he can't breathe, his body starts going into shock and then the poison just lets go. It fluctuates. He gets sick because its his body's natural way of trying to eject this invader, but it's not really successful. So its not that being sick helps, its just the aftermath."

Jade made no move to wipe her eyes as she continued, "It's also why adrenaline or any kind of blood rush triggers it, the poison is always building up, but slowly. Force the blood to move faster and voila, it pushes the mutagen to eat at the cells faster and Sonic has an attack."

"So without the cure…" Chris started.

"Too many attacks and the strain will be too much for his body. It'll shut down for good. The poison is a nasty bugger that likes to torture its victim. Eat away at them slowly." Jade added. "He already feels more drained after his second attack compared to the first. Every attack eats away more at him…until his body is too weak to resist."

"But how do you know that, that other doctor will have the cure?" Amy piped up. "Are you sure you're just not trying hard enough? Just cure him!"

The doctor in the room sighed and covered her eyes. "Doctor Cameron doesn't invent these things. He has scientists and specialists. One of them invented this abomination. As a rule, every time something like this is invented, a counterpart is created as a safety feature in case the scientist himself gets infected with it. Or if something generally goes horribly wrong."

Silence reigned yet again….until Amy couldn't help herself and suddenly sobbed loudly, dropping to the floor, her head buried in her hands.

Chris kneeled down by her and wrapped an arm around her as she shook and clung to his shirt. "Would another doctor be able to cure him? I don't mean to doubt you…but maybe someone else can help?" He suggested, looking up at Jade on the couch.

She shrugged. "We could try…but I can't even tell half of what the poison consists. It keeps changing. And every time I try to introduce an antibiotic or something, it changes. I really think that at this point its best to just go to the source…" She trailed off realizing the implications.

How in the world were they going to get past Doctor Cameron? They'd just escaped and irony of ironies they had to go back. A hard shiver ripped through her. Damn. Damn, damn , damn. DAMN!! Her mind screamed as she grasped at her hair.

"I don't know what we should do…" She mumbled.

"Simple. We go and get it." A too familiar voice answered, making all of their eyes look up to the doorway of the examination room.

Jade looked up and meeting those calm emerald eyes, she knew. He had been there all along, he had heard everything. And he was going to do everything he could to save himself.

* * *

A/N: Uh yea. In case I didn't mention it the chapter before, I'm going to stop promising when the next chapter should be up. Hehe. Sorry this is late (like always) But at least its still going huh? Thank you, all of you! Loyal long time reviewers and new ones alike. Your support and kindness is addicting. I'm only sorry that I haven't been as good to you all as you have been to me.

Special thanks to Loor101 for the constant nudges. (A.K.A as the kicks in the rear going, biatch where the hell is the next chapter?!) But in a nicer way. Lol I also thank you for the awesome ideas that I pretty much stole in this chapter, but you got me out of my slump! Thankies!

I do have to say though, (if I haven't already) that this story is pretty much on its last legs. I predict no more than three more chapters till the end, perhaps only two more. I think its more than long in coming and I do want to see this to completeion. So with all that said and done, I hope like always, that this chapter was enjoyed and satisfied your appetites. Then and only then would I have accomplished my goal. Thnx a bunch guys!


	11. Chapter 11: Letting Go

**A/N:** Hey guys! Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their continuing support on this story. I hope this chapter was well worth the wait. Now I would like to ask you guys for your support in something else. My friend and an amazing author here on FFnet. (Kaydeeblu.) has started an **awesome forum**.

If you are really passionate about writing this forum offers, advice, Beta services, and a place to preview your stories and/or poetry in a safe, constructive environment. There will also be monthly writing contests, artist interviews, movie reviews, and a general chat. And just a fun place all around to meet other writers. **But it needs support and members to stay alive, so do me a favor and give it a look-see! www . forums . delphiforums . com / cafe08 / start (You know the drill, erase the spaces!) **

**_Letting Go Of Hope_**

**_Chapter 11_**

**_Letting Go…_**

Unlike his temper, the damn glass just wouldn't crack. No matter how many times he punched it, the damn thing had the nerve to remain unscratched. Pulling his arm back as far as it would go, he let go with all his strength and winced as it bounced back towards his face with equal force.

Cursing loudly, he turned to hit the wall next to him, but being made of the same glass, the same reaction happened and had him cursing even louder. Never before had he felt so stupid as he did right now. Or angrier with himself over his own stupidity.

Be careful, they had warned. And he had scoffed. Didn't he feel like a genius!

But he could always beat himself up about it later, right now he wanted to get through the glass so he could smash that grinning doctor's face in.

"So angry." Dr. Cameron sneered from the other side of the glass. "Yet, so helpless."

"With all due respect sir, this subject is much angrier and feral than …um…the last specimen that got away…" A young man interrupted, waiting for the good doctor's orders.

"And yet, look at where he is. Stuck in a cage and beating himself. Wearing himself out. As strange as these creatures have been, they have proven to be no different from the regular stupid beasts."

"Yes sir, of course sir. …Shall we perform the same tests on this one?"

"Same. But this time they will actually be done. Do you understand? No screw-ups!"

"Yes sir!!" The young man responded, hurrying off to inform the doctors.

Dr. Cameron chose then to turn back to the cage with an even bigger smile. "Well Red, I don't know where you and your friend came from, but I do hope you enjoy your stay here. I promise you, it'll be an interesting one."

His response was another slamming of a fat fist in his face, seemingly thin glass being his only salvation from a broken nose.

And he laughed.

"Must be frustrating to know that you are in here, stuck, useless while your friend is dying."

That caught Knuckle's attention. His eyes widened briefly. Surely this deranged man posing as a doctor was kidding. Being cruel. Sonic wasn't dying. And yet, the man seemed so confident about it…

Laughing once again the doctor posed arrogantly with his hands on his hips. "Oh, come now. You don't seriously think that he really got away, do you?"

Since Knuckles stood still and continued to stare, he continued. "Oh you do! Hm. What a shame. Because you see, he'll be back. He'll come back real soon as a matter of fact." He promised with an ominous tone. "That stupid little doctor friend of yours can't save him. I can guarantee that."

Knuckles growled. "What did you do to him!" He yelled, punching repeatedly in his fit of anger. He had already realized that the sounds he made couldn't be heard on the outside, so he hoped the bastard could read lips.

"I? …why I am totally innocent! I have don't nothing to him. The bitch of a doctor made sure of that while I blindly trusted her. Is it my fault that one of my very loyal doctors decided to actually do the tests I wanted done? I can't be held responsible for that…just because I chose what I wanted him to be injected with…" He finished with a smirk.

A roar ripped from the Echidna's lips as he pointed menacingly at Dr. Cameron. "Laugh now. But we'll see who is laughing when I make you eat your smile. One tooth at a time!"

Dr. Cameron leaned into the glass and turned dead serious. "Yeah, yeah. Tough guy. We'll see who is laughing all right. We'll see."

Dark violet eyes narrowed in anger in response.

Meanwhile back at the mansion, emerald eyes remained calm and slightly tired around the edges. A small smirk accompanying them as their owner stared at the shocked faces around him. "Sonic, you're supposed to be sleeping…" Jade muttered, unable to meet him in the eyes.

Tails remained quiet and unable to look at him as well. He didn't want to see his best friend in the whole world like this. Especially when he knew that inside, his friend's body had turned against him and was slowly taking him away from them.

"Yeah, well. Who can sleep when there is such a serious discussion going on?" Sonic spoke up, not looking at either of them but at the pink hedgehog who was still crumbled on the ground.

Amy had no qualms about looking at Sonic in the eyes. Since he made his presence known, she couldn't take them away, even as the tears continued to flow. She couldn't stop them and made no move to hide them.

Dying. The ugliest word in the language and now she had to use it in reference towards him? It wasn't fair! It wasn't! She couldn't stand it!

"It's not fair!!" She suddenly sobbed loudly launching herself at the blue hedgehog and clutching tightly. "Why?!" She demanded. "Why is this happening! It can't be true!" She nearly screamed.

Shocked by her outburst, Sonic awkwardly patted her back. "Amy." He said calmly trying to get her to look at him. But she was shaking so badly that she had to hold on to keep herself from falling. "It'll be all right Amy. Do you really think I'm going to let this thing take me down?" He asked while looking at both Jade and Tails to get the message to them as well. "It's simple. Go back, beat Dr. Cameron, and get the antidote."

The human doctor couldn't help but scoff. "Right Sonic, simple. Are you insane?! Think clearly! It is not going to be that simple!" She burst out, the stress getting to her as well.

Tails looked up at her in surprise. So far she had tried so hard to keep everyone calm, so to have such an outburst from her was odd and a true testament to how serious the situation was. "Not simple, but not impossible." He spoke up, suddenly feeling the need to try to keep everyone calm as well. "All we really need is a good plan…"

Jade turned on him. "No! He doesn't need encouragement!…This doesn't have to be up to us. I don't know what it is like where you guys are from, but over here we have police officers, people we turn to for help."

Sonic smirked. "Back where we come from, we are the ones others turn to for help."

Mentally, Jade smacked her head against a brick wall, repeatedly. No wonder they were all so righteous! But that didn't help them now. They were seriously out of their league.

"I don't care." She said firmly, shocking them all. "Sonic, think clearly. You can't fight. To fight is to start off another attack, and we don't want to risk that. I can't fight them all, and quite frankly we don't have the man power, even with your friends helping."

"You are so pessimistic Jade, like Tails said, nothing is impossible."

"I am not pessimistic, I'm being realistic! This isn't a cartoon show where everything somehow turns out all right at the end, this is real life we are dealing with here, and we need help!"

Sonic closed his eyes and turned his head away while the others awaited his response. He was too used to dealing with a crisis alone. Or with his friends when he really needed help. But he always preferred to deal with them alone. Never put them in danger. But Jade had a point. This was out of their league. This wasn't another stupid scheme concocted by Eggman. This was a sinister plot made up by a man that had already won one battle.

And truth be told, he felt it in his own body that he didn't have the strength to really take the entire warehouse on again. So while he hated to do this and get others involved, he couldn't be stupid.

"So…where do we go to for help?" He asked.

And everyone else let out a collected breath of relief.

Jade gave him a small, sad smile. "I'll go to the Police Department now. I…I'm not so sure it's a good idea to show you guys to them though. They may feel compelled to take custody of you guys and cause a whole new set of problems that we don't need right now."

"So what can we do?" Sonic asked, not liking where this was going.

"You, mister, are going back to bed."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"To bed."

"I'm not tired."

"Sonic."

"Jade?" He asked, indicating in his tone that he didn't understand when he had become a child.

The human woman sighed and had to stop herself from laughing. Even though she always admired his stubbornness, she hated when it was turned against her. "Fine, don't go to bed, but stay calm. Do you understand? And no running!"

Sonic didn't hide the roll of his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Act like I'm, 80. Got it. But even elders get to leave the house." He added with a smirk. "I'm going."

She tugged at her hair and breathed in deeply. "Only in the car and you stay out of sight."

His suddenly flash of teeth in giant grin nearly blinded her. "See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Yes, it was!"

"Wait!" Amy suddenly demanded. She had watched the debate silently, but now it was her turn to voice her concerns. "If Sonic is going, than I should go too!"

Sonic blinked in response. "Why?" He asked innocently, meaning nothing at all and simply being curious.

The pink hedgehog's eyes flashed briefly with hurt before her defiant personality rebounded. "To take care of you, of course!"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea Amy…."

This time she didn't bother to hide the hurt in her face or tone. "You don't want me to be with you Sonic?"

He cringed slightly, he hated making her feel bad. He always felt so guilty since she always went out of her way to please him. "No, that's not it Amy, it just may be too dangerous…"

"I don't care! It always turns out right and you need to be taken care of! Okay, so that's settled, we're leaving now right?" She asked as she moved towards the front door and held her head up high on a job well done at getting her way.

Sonic groaned quietly. As if having one mother hen on board wasn't enough…

Tails, despite his worry, couldn't help but giggle. "You knew you weren't going to win that one Sonic."

The blue hedgehog simply smirked and shrugged.

Tails grinned and then moved over to where Amy was waiting. "You do know that, that means that I'm going to go too, right?"

Jade groaned aloud. "When did this turn into a field trip?"

"You aren't going to win, Jade." Sonic answered. "And we are wasting time. We should just go!"

She rubbed her face in exasperation and then sighed.

And as they all piled into a car, a certain Echidna stuck in the evil facility smirked at the satisfying crunching sound.

"Argh! That little bastard broke my nose! He broke it!" An orderly bellowed as he pressed his hands uselessly against the gush of blood rushing from his broken nose.

"Heh. Heh."

The orderly holding Knuckles' arms tightly behind his back, gave them a strong squeeze and shook him roughly. "It isn't funny you little punk!"

"It is to me."

"I'll bet it is. I can't wait until we start laughing." The same man holding him, sneered as he shoved him forward roughly, causing Knuckles to grunt in discomfort. "Then we'll see how you feel about whether things are funny or not."

Dr. Cameron chose that moment to make yet another appearance. The sight of two of his employees bruised and bloodied, and useless darts hanging out of Knuckles' legs, made him raise an eyebrow. "Care to explain?" He demanded of the two men.

"All we did was open the cage door to take this freak to his first experiment, and he took off running!" The one holding Knuckles explained.

"So you shot at his legs?"

He nodded proudly. "Right away, but it didn't work."

"That's right you idiot. Obviously you did not pay attention when I mentioned time and time again that this one's strength is in his arms and hands. Not his legs."

Both men rolled their eyes. "I think we figured that one out, doctor."

"Good. I'm glad it wasn't too much for your pea sized brains."

Knuckles snorted and the doctor glared at him. "Something funny?"

The echidna simply glared, tired of talking to all of them and hating the numb sensation in his legs. The behemoth holding his arms was applying enough pressure that if he jerked the wrong way, he risked breaking both of his limbs. Testing it, he flexed a fist, and immediately more pressure was applied.

"Uh-uh rodent. You ain't going nowhere."

Dr. Cameron was about to add his own comment, when he glanced up and noticed that the person they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

A tall thin man with graying hair, entered the room with a grim face and a needle in his hand. If Sonic had seen him, he would have had a twinge of fear roll through him. But only a twinge. This was the same man that had injected him with the drugs that had turned into a poison.

Knuckles narrowed his eyes at his approach and leaned back against his captor. "What do you think you are doing?!" He demanded as the tall doctor uncapped the needle with his teeth and bent down towards him. "What I'm paid to do." Was his simple answer as he plunged the needle's tip through fur and skin.

The car ride to the police department was needless to say, amusing. With so many passengers, the only mode of transportation in the garage that would accommodate them was the limousine.

Chuck had managed to distract Tanaka long enough for Jade to take off with the limo. They figured that this was the best course of action since someone needed to stay with Cream and Cheese. So while Jade got accustomed to driving the long car, her furry friends and Chris sat in the back.

Sonic was nonchalant about the vehicle, but Tails and Amy found it to be a lot of fun.

"Ooooh. This is soooo romantic!" Amy giggled as she snuggled close to Sonic's side.

He said nothing as he didn't understand how it was, and watched as Tails explored all of the limo's buttons. "You know, there is so much I could do with this. I could make it faster…" He commented lightly as he looked around the interior.

The blue hedgehog smirked at that. "I'm sure you could Tails."

A jerky stop that made them all nearly tumble out of their seats was followed by a quick, "Sorry!" from the front of the car.

A quick look through the tinted windows confirmed that they had arrived in front of the Police Precinct. It also revealed that the sky had gotten darker. It had been a very long day and was at least dinner time in a lot of homes and Chris hoped that it wasn't too late to be going to the police. Jade was worried also, but left the car and opened the passenger door to face them all.

"All right guys, we're here. I'll go in, and you guys stay here! Got it? Don't move and don't come in. You'll freak everyone out if you do."

As everyone nodded their consent, Chris moved to get out of the car. "I should go with you…my uncle is a police officer." He offered.

The young woman's eyes widened slightly at that and then she grinned slightly. "You might have wanted to mention that a lot earlier ya know." She teased.

Chris gave her a sheepish look as he shrugged. "I didn't think about it right away…"

"Well, at least we know someone on the inside. Let's go!"

The police precinct smelled sterilized and looked as spotless and efficient as one expected a precinct to be. With dull gray walls and dark green floors, it screamed that this was a serious no nonsense place.

When they were given the chance to speak with the officer at the desk, Jade suddenly felt nervous. Not only because she wasn't sure they'd believe her story, but because it could also get her in trouble if they didn't believe that she was completely innocent in the whole matter.

The officer behind the desk was a young man, perhaps not much older than Jade, but his bright blue eyes seemed much older. As if he had seen many things that most people their age would never see. But he was receptive and friendly as he was dealing with citizens at the moment and not criminals. His name badge read, Reed.

"And what can I help you with?" He asked while giving them his full attention.

Jade smiled nervously and licked her lips. "Well, I'm still trying to figure out how to word it actually…"

Officer Reed raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "I'm sure you can find the words. Take your time."

Taking a deep breath in, Jade exhaled slowly and opened her mouth again after an encouraging hand squeeze from Chris. "I…I think there is some serious illegal activity going on in a warehouse in the woods."

The officer leaned forward to begin taking notes. "What kind of illegal activity?"

"I think that there is illegal animal testing being done….for a cosmetics company."

"What cosmetics company?"

"P.F."

"P.F.? "

"Pretty Flawless."

"Ah. These are pretty strong accusations, miss. Care to enlighten me on why you think that this is going on?"

This was it. Do or die. She could admit her involvement with the horrible experiments, or lie and risk them not treating this case as urgently as she wished.

"Because until just recently, I worked for them…."

Officer Reed raised his eyebrow once again and studied her closely. "And what was your position?"

"I was hired as a veterinarian….but I had no idea what their intentions were! Honest!"

The officer simply nodded and continued to make notes. "What did you see?"

Encouraged by the fact that he had made no big deal about her being involved, she breathed easier. "Misshapen and deformed animals being brought in by truck loads. I was told that the tests we were performing were to help them get better, but after working for them for a few days it no longer made sense and after seeing a cosmetics commercial with the warehouse's initials, I knew it was a bad sign."

"I see. And do you know where this warehouse is located exactly?"

"Well, no. I live near it, but I don't know how to direct you to it. I'd have to lead any officers that go to investigate it…"

"Mm."

"Will you? Go and investigate, I mean? I left as soon as I realized what was going on, but I feel so bad for the animals left behind, these people need to be stopped…"

"Please mister Reed, it feels wrong to know that all those animals are being abused…" Chris finally spoke up.

Reed glanced at him and then narrowed his eyes, sizing him up before recognition flashed. "You're that Thorndyke kid, aren't you?"

Chris nodded and spoke up once more. "I know my uncle Sam wouldn't mind helping…"

"He probably wouldn't, but he is busy on another case right now." He answered grimly.

"Oh." Both Jade and Chris responded just as grimly. Their impression was that there wasn't much hope in getting them out to investigate.

"…But, I'll see if I can get a few officers to go out and see this warehouse with you. Just know that if the people at the warehouse refuse to let them in, they will have to go to a judge for a warrant, and that might be a long delay if they don't have a strong enough case.

"We understand." Jade nodded. She had a horrible feeling that it was going to come to that. But they just needed a chance to get to Dr. Cameron. To get to him with the safety of police officers behind them. So she wasn't telling the whole story to Officer Reed, but she'd tell the officers once they go to the warehouse. Once they were inside and they could see the atrocities for themselves.

Officer Reed nodded and radioed two officers. "Ramirez, Hunter, there is a young lady up here who can use your help."

In a short time, two officers strolled into Jade's and Chris' view. One was tall and lean with caramel skin and light brown eyes. The other was shorter and stocky with salt and pepper hair and dark calculating eyes.

"Miss…."

"Jade, please. Just call me Jade."

"Jade, this is officer Hunter and Ramirez." Officer Reed introduced. "They will go down with you to the warehouse and investigate."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Jade grinned nodding her greeting at both new officers.

"Do you want to ride with us miss, or did you drive?" Officer Ramirez, the tall tan skinned man asked.

"We drove in Chris' limo." She explained without thinking.

Officer Ramirez looked confused, but Officer Hunter recognized Chris in the same manner that Reed had. "Oh. The Thorndyke kid. Your uncle is a good man. And I enjoy your mother's work." He added with a smile.

"Thank you sir."

"So miss….Jade, would you like to update us on what we are going out to investigate?" Ramirez questioned as they all headed out the door.

Outside had grown steadily darker and through the tinted windows, Sonic strained his eyes looking for Jade and Chris to come out of the precinct. When they did, he couldn't help but smirk at the sight of two other humans with them. Both in matching uniform. His guess was that these were the officers Jade was hoping would help them.

He almost charged out of the limo to greet them, but he kept his promise to Jade and stayed put.

"Hey, Jade did it! She got some officers to come help!" Tails pointed out.

"Can they really help?" Amy questioned aloud.

"We'll see." Sonic answered with a nonchalant shrug. But he really did hope that they could.

They watched as Jade and the officers exchanged a few words and as Chris approached the limo once more. "Hey guys." He greeted as he ducked back into the limo.

"So what is going to happen?" Tails spoke up.

"Jade is going to lead them to the warehouse and they are going to hopefully get in and take a look around."

"Hopefully?"

"They might get turned away and if they do, it may be a few days before they can get in forcefully."

"Great."

"Yeah, but maybe it won't come down to that." The young boy added quickly as he glanced at Sonic nervously. No one mentioned aloud that the blue hedgehog might not have a few days to spare.

The limo suddenly lurched forward and they all shifted into each other, unprepared. "Whoa!" Sonic called out in surprise.

"Sorry!" Jade called to the back once again.

The trip turned out to be short and Jade grinned when the warehouse came into view. She had, had a weird feeling that they wouldn't be able to find it, making her look like a liar. But there it was, standing in all its glory.

She jumped out of the limo in her excitement, not bothering to warn the others, they knew already that they were to stay put until she gave the signal.

Officer Ramirez and Hunter pulled up behind the limo a few seconds later and stepped out of their cruiser slowly. "This is it?" Hunter asked as he studied the surroundings.

Jade nodded, a bundle of nerves once again and not trusting her voice at the moment.

"You stay here miss, and we'll go knock."

She nodded once again and actually took a few steps back. She also studied the warehouse and as she did, a cold stone of dread started to drop into her stomach.

Oh, no…

The warehouse looked dark, even though it was way too early for them to shut down for the day, and she could not hear any sound at all coming from the inside. Not even the usual animal sounds.

"Please, no…." She chanted under her breath as she dared to creep closer to the large building.

But her worst fears were confirmed as the officers came back, taking notes, but looking relaxed. Her eyes widened and her head shook in denial.

Officer Ramirez approached her first and sighed. "It's abandoned." He started grimly.

"Oh, god…" she breathed as she started to shake.

"It seems like a high tech facility was kept inside and that they left in quite a rush."

"…Because I left…" She muttered in horror.

The officer narrowed his eyes at her words. "Jade, do you really think that your leaving spooked them that much?"

"Yes." She nodded fiercely to back up her words. "I haven't been completely honest, there is more to this whole mess…."

Huffing in annoyance, Hunter addressed her. "Withholding information is not going to help either of us. Right now the only reason I even remotely believe your story is because this warehouse seems to have been vacated in a hurry. Now, what haven't you told us?"

"Chris?" Jade called out in response. "I think it's time we shared our little secret…"

"What?…" Ramirez started as the limo door suddenly opened and Sonic, Tails and Amy piled out.

Both of the officers' eyes widened as they took a few steps back and nervously hovered their hands over their revolvers. "What the?!" both shouted in unison.

But Sonic ignored their outbursts as he made his way to Jade. "Jade, what is going on?" He asked as he eyed the warehouse warily.

His speaking only spooked the officers more as they jumped slightly. "Ramirez, I think we've just entered the twilight zone."

Ramirez nodded in agreement as he stared in awe.

"Sonic, it's abandoned. They're not here. Those cowards! They moved!"

The blue hedgehog's eyes widened as Amy and Tails gasped at the horror of the situation. "No!" They shouted as one.

Sonic didn't move as he tried to process the meaning of it all, and then an even more disturbing thought occurred to him. A certain friend had left hours ago to return to this very spot. And if he had made this discovery, he would have surely come back to report it. But he hadn't been back and that didn't sit right with him. In all the hassle of finding out what had happened to him, he hadn't realized that Knuckles was taking too long to return.

But his friend could be such a loner, maybe he had just gone his own way….hopefully….

But it felt so wrong.

"Jade." He commented tightly.

But she had read his mind and knew what he was going to say. "I know. They might have Knuckles."

The demented doctor couldn't help but laugh. They were all laughing. This was just too funny. "This is amazing. These side effects are more than what I could have ever asked for."

"It is very interesting Dr. Cameron."

They were watching an echidna wobble on his legs as he stared at them blankly. He was extremely complacent. Sure, he'd been a tad sick after the drugs had hit his system, but once he relaxed, he seemed to be in a hallucinogenic state. Any little suggestion and he was more than happy to comply apparently thinking that someone he trusted was asking it of him.

"Red, go beat the shit out of Kirk." Dr. Cameron suddenly commanded.

One of the orderlies that was standing around and enjoying the show looked up at the doctor with a look of betrayal. "Wha?…oof!" He cried out as Knuckles was suddenly upon him punching relentlessly.

Dr. Cameron cackled as he watched and the other orderlies joined in nervously. There were so many opportunities for his new weapon.


	12. Chapter 12: Of Hope

_**Letting Go Of Hope**_

_**Chapter 12 **_

…_**Of Hope **_

It took all of her energy to not be sick on the spot. She wanted to scream, cry, hit something. Eyeing the officer's revolver, she distantly thought that she wouldn't have minded shooting something either.

"….Miss…"

"Just Jade, please." She whispered as she mirrored Sonic's shocked expression. For some reason, they were having a hard time looking away from one another.

Officer Ramirez cleared his throat and slowly made his way to her side, as if he was afraid that a certain blue hedgehog and his friends were going to attack at any moment.

"Jade." He repeated, his voice sounding a little stronger. "I think some serious explanations are in order."

The young veterinarian swallowed hard and nodded. "I know. Please, join me in the limo and we shall all fill you in."

Glancing back at his partner, Ramirez gave a small nod and together both he and Hunter prepared themselves for most likely, the oddest story they'd ever hear.

"Officer Ramirez, Hunter, this is Sonic, Tails, and Amy." Jade began once they were seated, pointing to them as she introduced them. "And their story is quite an interesting one…"

"I'll bet." Hunter remarked still seeming to be in disbelief.

"You see, we're not from here." Sonic began, feeling a sense of déjà vu from the time he had explained himself to Jade. "And all of this started with a madman named Eggman."

"Eggman?" Officer Ramirez repeated. "Are you serious?"

"Let him finish." Hunter snapped and the younger officer had the sense to look abashed and kept quite.

"….So then after I had only been working with Dr. Cameron for a few weeks, one night he came in with Sonic. A specimen he said two of his men had found in the middle of a road. It was because of what they wanted me to do to him, that I started to get suspicious of what their goals really were."

"Are you telling me that you really had no clue beforehand that this was a shady operation? Are you serious?"

Blushing from the fact that she knew that she was being criticized on her foolishness, she found herself staring at the floor of the limo. "I am serious. Look, this was my first job coming out of school….I just thought that I was really helping these animals…..I get it now, I was too naïve, but I really didn't realize."

"And how long did you say you'd been working for them?" Officer Hunter asked.

"About three weeks."

"Uh-huh." He muttered as he made a few notes.

By now the two officers had settled down, and while they were still obviously trying to absorb all this new information, they were back to business and no longer in utter shock.

"Well now, do you have any idea of another facility where they could have run off to, at all? Did they ever mention it around you?"

She shook her head sadly. "No. They were pretty secretive about certain things, but I never paid attention to it because I figured I was too new to be in on the "in-crowd", and didn't think it could be anything as sinister as this."

"I see."

"Officers…please. Is there anything you can do? One of their other friends, he's red colored, looks like a walking lollipop, he had returned to this area to look for something and never came back…….we think they have him now and that he is in great danger. "

"Walking lollipop?" Ramirez snickered. "Really?"

She smiled briefly and nodded. "Really. Please, this really is a matter of life or death. They don't care what they do to their specimens and they could hurt him badly if they choose to experiment with him." She added quickly.

Sonic had remained quiet while she had been interrogated by the police officers, but as she neglected to mention that they knew first hand what their drugs did to their kind, he gave her a questioning glance. Honestly, they had already revealed so much, why not just tell them that he was poisoned?

But to his look she gave a subtle shake of her head. She didn't want to mention it, she didn't want to give them a reason to take Sonic or any of the others into their custody.

"Jade…we can't promise anything…." Hunter started grimly.

"You can't mean that!" She countered immediately. "Please! You can't, not do anything!!"

"He didn't say we weren't going to do anything, he just said that we can't promise anything."

Officer Hunter nodded and sighed. "At this point since the perps have already vacated the establishment, we don't really have much to go on. Tomorrow morning we'll come back with a team and go over the place with a fine tooth comb. We'll try to dig up as much as we can on this Dr. Cameron, if that is even his real name, and see if we can track down where he is hiding out. But that is about it. Believe me, I'd love to be able to just hand him over to you on a silver platter, but it just doesn't work that way."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Chris spoke up for the first time. "Anyway we can help?"

"Chris, these are dangerous men who are obviously willing to do anything to keep their operation running and a secret. I don't want you involved, at all. Do you understand?" Officer Ramirez addressed him, his tone firm and unyielding.

"But you can't keep us from looking for Knuckles." Sonic spoke up defiantly.

"For what?" Officer Hunter asked frowning. "We are talking about mafia members now?"

Smiling, Jade explained, "No officer, Knuckles is the walking lollipop."

"Ah. And …Sonic, was it? Actually, we can keep you from looking for your friend. I can lock you guys up for your own safety." Officer Hunter mentioned casually. "But, to be honest, I can understand that you guys don't want to become a freak show and locking you up is only going to be asking for a world of trouble."

"Oh, thank you for not wanting to give us more trouble!" Jade immediately exclaimed as she sighed in relief. She'd lost a heartbeat at the thought of Sonic being sick stuck inside a jail cell.

Officer Hunter continued as if he hadn't heard her outburst, "So even though we won't make you stay away from looking for your friend, I strongly recommend that you stay clear from these men. If not only for your safety, for the sake of the investigation. Who knows what events you might set into motion if you try to solve this on your own. "

"We understand officer." Jade answered for all of them, casting a warning glance at Sonic, who wisely chose to keep his retaliation to himself.

"Good. Jade, I'll leave you a card with our information and we have Chris' information. We'll be in touch and keep you up to date. So let's be clear, that is all the involvement I want out of any of you, got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay. Now go home and get some rest, all of you."

"Good night sir, thank you."

"Good night Jade." Officer Hunter answered bowing his head slightly and turning back to the police cruiser.

"Night." Officer Ramirez added as he turned to leave. "Think that was a result of too much stress on the job?" He asked his partner as they both piled into their vehicle.

"Shut up, Ramirez." Hunter growled as he sighed and they took off.

As the fumes from their exhaust was still dispersing, Jade sighed as well. "Nothing left to do then. For now I guess we should just listen and go get some rest."

But one member of their party had gotten out of the limo and was standing near a pile of bushes that was close to the warehouse.

"Sonic?"

"Hm. …huh?" He asked turning around clutching something tightly in his hand. The emerald that had caused Knuckles his freedom, had been peeking out of the dirt patch the echidna had started to dig at. Its peculiar shine had attracted the hedgehog's eyes and he was still surprised to have it.

"Ooh. Pretty." Jade commented as she came up to him and placed a hand on his back.

"It's the emerald." He answered simply, his grip tight as he looked on in the distance.

Eyes widening in understanding, she squeezed his shoulder. "We'll get him back." She stated with confidence she didn't honestly feel. "We'll get him back and get that scum to pay for everything he's done."

But Sonic shocked her once again as he turned and had all the confidence in the world in that one gaze. "You can count on it." He answered firmly as he walked back to the limo.

The ride home was uneventful and tense. Tails and Amy no longer had anything to be in awe over, and Sonic was deadly silent. Chris was uncomfortable with the silence and felt it was inappropriate to try to start any type of conversation. Sometimes you just needed to be alone with your thoughts.

Cream greeted them joyfully and all her innocence in the whole matter assaulted them at once as she went on and on about what she and Chuck had played together. And as she finished her own tale, she was eager to hear their own.

"So, did you guys have fun at the mall? Was it big? Did it have a lot of stores?" She asked Amy excitedly as she then pouted. "I wish I could have gone with you!"

Amy blinked in confusion at Chuck, but he nodded encouragingly and she immediately understood that this was the cover up story that he had told their young friend. She smiled and did her best to but some of her usual enthusiasm into her response. "It was great Cream! Maybe next time you can come with us, now that we know what to expect!"

Cream and Cheese squealed in excitement at that. "Yay! I can't wait!" She cheered as she then bounded over to the couch and jumped on it. "Did you want to watch some t.v.?"

Amy smiled tightly and went to join her on the couch. "Sure, but I think we should be getting to bed soon. Its' been a long day."

"Okay." Cream agreed as Cheese chirped in agreement as well, yawning widely.

Chris' grandfather took the opportunity to join the others in Sonic's makeshift examination room and get the low down on what had happened. "So?…how did it go?" was his only comment as he entered the room.

Jade laughed slightly. "Things get better and better it seems."

"They were gone, grandpa." Chris added. "Everything was gone."

Slapping his forehead, Chuck squeezed his eyes tight and sighed deeply. "Wonderful. What did the police say? Did they believe you? That mustn't have made you look good."

"Yeah, well, after they saw Sonic, Tails and Amy, they were pretty convinced."

"They saw them?!?!"

"Yep."

"And they didn't haul all of you off? I'm amazed."

"So am I." Jade admitted.

Sonic was sitting on the bed, leaning back, having his arms support his upper body. He said nothing, but he was feeling tired and it scared him slightly. He wasn't used to being weak. It wasn't something he ever imagined feeling, and was definitely something he never wanted to experience again.

Tails was holding the yellow emerald Sonic had found and just kept turning it in his hands. "We think Knuckles was taken by them too. He left to find this, and being as it was still there and that they were all missing, it makes a lot of sense. Otherwise he would have come back."

"I see." Chuck said solemnly. "So? What is the next course of action?"

"We've been warned to stay out of the situation." Sonic spoke up.

Eyeing him, the older man slowly smirked. "Based on the way you just said that, I'm guessing you are not planning to listen to that warning."

Sonic looked up with a smirk. "Nope."

"How can we help?" He asked in return to his stubborness.

"We need to search the area." Sonic answered. "Find another place these losers have holed up in, without tipping them off."

"The Tornado is the obvious choice, but it can only hold two passengers." Tails spoke up. "I could try to modify it, but I don't think I can do it overnight."

"I could help you with that." Charles spoke up immediately. "Maybe it can be done faster."

"Okay!" Tails agreed readily. "Besides, since we have one emerald now, it might help a lot."

"Whoa, whoa. You two are not planning to work on that now are you? Everyone needs their rest. Its off to bed for you young man." She said as she pointed at the fox-child. "And for you as well." She added, staring pointedly at Chuck.

"Yes m'am!" Tails saluted her.

"Yes m'am." Chuck repeated with a chuckle. "Just remember to look after yourself as well."

She smiled and nodded. "I will."

With that, Chuck made sure everyone had enough blankets and pillows to be comfortable. The beds were made and everyone bid each other good night. The couch was a large futon that unfolded into a comfortable sized bed and that was where Amy and Cream, along with Cheese, were to sleep. Sonic had his own bed and Tails was going to sleep on the bench seat in front of a large window.

Jade was given a roll away bed to place wherever she pleased. It didn't surprise anyone when she chose to place it in Sonic's makeshift examination room. "Do you mind?" She asked quietly, realizing that he may want some time alone.

He gave her a small smile as he shook his head and laid back completely on the bed. "Doesn't bother me."

She smiled at that and laid down. Call her paranoid, but she wanted to be close by should anything happen. And bless his heart, Sonic seemed to sense that. If he was the least bit uncomfortable by her presence, he didn't show it.

"Good night, Sonic. Sweet dreams." She whispered.

"Good night, Jade. Sweet dreams." He repeated. With that, he simply relaxed under the covers, turned his back to her and she watched as he slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

Hearing his rhythmic breathing made her smile and she silently slipped out of bed to kneel by its' side. "Please." She begged as she prayed. "Let everything turn out okay." She prayed for them all, because at this point, she was slowly losing her hope that anything would go right, and the thought scared her to her core.

In the other room, a certain cream colored bunny couldn't sleep. Her chao snored lightly beside her, but her other companion's quiet sniffles were the ones keeping her awake. She was young, but she wasn't stupid. She knew something was wrong. Everyone was far too tense, and by the way Amy had been handling it, it was obvious that it had something to do with Sonic.

The blue hedgehog had seemed unusually quiet to her, but other than that, she couldn't fathom what could possibly be wrong. She hadn't worried too much about it, but ever since the group had returned, they all seemed even more worried.

And Amy's crying wasn't reassuring either.

"Amy?" She whispered quietly, afraid of waking either Cheese or Tails. Even though the fox child was way too still and quiet for her to believe that he had truly fallen asleep.

She heard Amy's sharp intake of breath, obviously surprised that she was still awake, and heard her sniffle one last time. "Yes Cream? Are you okay?"

"…I'm okay."

"Oh."

After a few moments where the young bunny stayed silent, Amy sat up and turned to look at her. "Can't sleep?" She asked with a small tight smile. She was grateful that it was dark and that the child wouldn't be able to see her watery eyes.

"….Amy, I'm not stupid." Cream simply answered. "What is going on? Why are you so sad?"

Feeling her eyes widen, the pink hedgehog did her best to keep her smile plastered to her face. "Just feeling a little homesick, that's all…"

"You're lying."

"Why do you say that?"

"I know you are lying right now, don't lie to me Amy. I can take it. What is wrong? Something is wrong, I know it. Everyone is trying to act like everything is okay, but your faces give it away."

"Oh." Was all Amy could think to say in response. In fact she felt awful. They had taken Cream for granted, had forgotten how smart she was despite their age difference. She just wished that she wasn't the one that had to deal with this right now. "Cream, its…Sonic." She started after taking a deep breath.

"I thought so. What's wrong with him?"

"He's sick."

"Oh. I thought he was kind of quiet."

"Mm hm."

"You shouldn't worry so much Amy! You know Sonic is really strong, he'll get better soon, right?"

"R-right."

"You don't sound so sure…"

"He's just really sick." She repeated, mainly speaking her own thoughts and forgetting that she was talking to their younger friend.

Cream reached out and hugged her. "He'll be fine." She reassured. "Sonic always comes through."

Amy giggled slightly as she fought back fresh tears. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he? I'm being silly."

Placing her hands on her hips, the young child frowned and pointed accusingly at her. "Yes you are. You always say that you believe in Sonic…don't stop doing that now."

Amy couldn't help but sniffle once more and a small giggle escaped her. "You're right, Cream. You are so right. I can't let him down."

"That's right!" Cream huffed with a grin.

The pink hedgehog grabbed her for a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered.

Although the bunny's words were sincere and heartfelt, they were innocent as to be expected since she did not know the whole story. But still, they did make Amy feel better. Reminded her of the strength they always believed Sonic to have, that his condition had started to make her doubt.

"Well then, let's get some sleep, huh?"

"Sounds good." Cream smiled.

With that both girls settled in to bed once more, and this time with her mind more at ease, Amy slipped into slumber easily. Cream soon followed and on the bench seat in front of the window, a certain fox child smiled and rolled over as he too finally fell asleep.

The morning brought the sound of chaos.

Jade woke up with a jolt as she heard the sound of screams and what sounded like explosions and a high pitched voice laughing. Frowning, she dashed to the living room where she was surprised to find everyone awake and plastered to the television. By the brightness of the sun, she imagined it was close to midday.

"Ohohohohohoho!!!" A rather large and round strange looking man laughed as he floated on some weird metal contraption.

The screen flashed to a man dressed in a suit sitting behind a desk, reporting for one of the local channels. "….A man calling himself Dr. Eggman has taken a hold of downtown and claims that his terror will only spread if the mayor does not hand over the city. Local authorities are doing everything they can to stop this madman, but with metal contraptions at his disposal, there is no certainty that there will be no collateral damage. An advisory is out for all in the downtown area to evacuate. Further action will---"

The television suddenly turned off and everyone turned in unison to look at the one holding the remote control. Sonic.

"Eggman." He growled in a soft whisper.

This they did not need. Not ever, but defiantly not now. He had to give ol' egghead credit though. He had awful timing.

"So that is the famous Eggman." Jade answered with the same deadly whisper. "And don't you dare." She added while glancing at the blue hedgehog.

"I have to."

"Why?! Why does it always have to be you? The authorities are already handling it, let them deal with it."

"They don't know what they are up against." Sonic argued calmly. "They don't know how to fight him. They've never been up against his robots."

"It doesn't mean they don't stand a chance!"

"If they stood a chance, it wouldn't have gotten this bad." He countered yet again.

"Sonic, damn it!" Jade half shouted in frustration as she pounded the couch with a fist. "You can't fix everything!"

The blue hedgehog didn't respond. Didn't even look at her, but did step away from the couch and towards the door. "Maybe I can't. But its not going to be because I didn't try."

"Sonic…" Amy whispered worriedly as she watched him leave.

"I'm going to get the Tornado." Tails announced as he too, left.

"Wait for me!" Amy shouted almost immediately as she took off after him.

"Great! How am I supposed to get there?!?! " Jade shouted after them as she felt her heart race with new desperation.

"Jade." Chuck commented softly, and as soon as she turned to face him, he tossed his own personal car keys at her. "Take care."

She grinned as she caught them and ran to pull on her coat. "Thanks Chuck!" She shouted as she too ran out the door.

Chris stared at the door worriedly, but he sat next to Cream who patted his leg confidently. "They'll be okay." She told him with all the confidence as if she could see into the future. "You'll see."

"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!!!" Jade growled as she pushed the Mercedes to its limit through the streets and still she was nowhere nearly able to keep up with the blue blur of light that stayed so teasingly ahead of her. "You promised not to push yourself, you promised!!" She shouted at the blur as she prayed that it didn't stop abruptly due to an attack.

NASCAR racers had nothing on her as she dodged cars and zoomed through street lights in her desperation to keep up. She was surprised she had even spotted the hedgehog, with him having a lead on them all. She'd been told that he could be as fast as the speed of light and the fact that he wasn't going at full speed spoke volumes on how bad his body was doing, but she didn't want to concentrate on that. She just wanted to catch up with him.

Overhead, she heard the roar of what sounded like a jet engine, and knew immediately that it had to be Tails and Amy with the Tornado. "Good. Get there guys. Help our stubborn friend." She whispered to herself as she dodged yet another car.

Blaring horns followed her as she nearly caused many accidents. She was glad that the police seemed to have their hands full with whatever action was going on downtown, because she had yet to encounter any.

She could tell when she got to the right area, as there was traffic congestion coming in the opposite direction as people fled the very place she was trying to get to.

The blue blur that was Sonic didn't slow, it merely seemed to bend around all obstacles and continued forward and far beyond her reach. "Damn it!" She cursed yet again as she pulled over and nearly jumped out of the car to race forward as well.

People were screaming and running against her, and she feared being trampled by the terrified stampede. Police officers did their best to try to contain the madness, but people were too panicked to really care about their presence. Pushing and shoving, Jade made a small path for herself. She just kept heading straight, figuring that eventually she would run into what the problem was. As she rushed past, officer Ramirez spotted her and tried to halt her. "Jade!! Where do you think you are going?! Jade!" He shouted for her, but she ignored him and everything else until she finally made it.

"…What in the world…" She whispered as she finally reached a clearing in the streets, where about twenty police cruisers were tossed and crushed, and some officers were still fighting but quickly retreating, calling out orders for the need for military aid. And right in the middle of it, Sonic was standing and looking up.

A gigantic robot that resembled an octopus with many arms stood there in all its glory. Eggman was sitting at the top, obviously controlling the contraption and was laughing that hideous laugh of his once again.

"My, my, my. Look who finally decided to join the party." He cackled as the machine angled itself to look down at the blue hedgehog. "And here I was thinking that you were finally showing your true colors. Being the coward that you are."

Jade's eyes involuntarily glanced at Sonic, and true to her worst fears, he already looked extremely tired. His fur looked damp from the sweat that was probably rolling off of him due to his run to this area. He was panting heavily as well, and she was terrified that at any moment he was going to trigger another attack. It was a miracle that he hadn't already, but by the way that his fists were clenched, it was obvious to her that he was doing his very best to fight it off.

"Missed me that much, huh?" Sonic countered between pants. "Don't worry, I'm here now." He snickered as he suddenly spin-dashed towards the machine so quickly that he just looked like a moving ball of light to Jade's eyes.

Much like a pinball game, he 'bounced' against all of the robot's legs, forcibly moving it back as the rounded man fought to regain control. She was in awe as Sonic actually sounded as if he were made of metal as he struck the robot. She couldn't help but flinch, because if it had been anyone else doing what the hedgehog was, it probably would have hurt… a lot.

"What's the matter Sonic? You seem a little slow!" Eggman taunted as one of the robot's tentacle legs suddenly lifted and swiped at the hedgehog, causing him to jump back in surprise.

Not bothering to continue in their usual banter, Sonic managed to recover and strike hard at the legs once again. But as he was thrown back from the power of his own attack, another of the six arms came around the side and knocked him hard against a building across the street.

"Sonic!!" Jade couldn't help but scream in pure terror as she started to run in his direction.

The hedgehog's blue form was limp in the rumble that fell from his impact, but he was breathing…heavily. She kneeled by his side and started to check him for any major injuries.

"You have to stop." She begged. "Your body can't take this abuse Sonic. Let's just run. He's too strong for you right now." She pleaded, expecting a full blown argument despite his obvious condition.

But Sonic just panted in reply and seemed to not even realize that he was being spoken to. He grunted softly in pain as he squeezed his eyes tight, trying to get everything to stop spinning and learn how to breathe again.

"Sonic?" Jade asked again, even more unnerved by the lack of response. And when there was still none coming, she started to lift him carefully. "That's it. We're out of h---ahh!" She screamed as one of the tentacle legs suddenly grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, lifting her ten stories high.

"Ohohoho. So the rodent has gotten himself a new girlfriend. I do have to say, you have good taste hedgehog!!"

Sonic heard the scream, he felt Jade being ripped away from him and he wanted nothing more than to shove the robot's legs down Eggman's throat. If he could only move. His body was flat out refusing and he could feel that nagging feeling that his body was going to give out on him as darkness crept on the edges of his vision. According to what he discussed with Jade, this was what he felt before he had one of his little episodes. He didn't want it to happen. Especially not now when his friend needing him. It infuriated him, but did him no good as he still couldn't get up.

_Jade…_

"Eggman, let her go!!" Amy's voice suddenly penetrated the stunned silence as Jade struggled in the robot's grip.

The pink hedgehog suddenly dive-bombed from the Tornado that hovered overhead, hammer already at hand and she didn't waste time either. As soon as she landed the hammer went flying in all directions as she did her best to try to break through the robot's legs.

"Amy!!" Jade cheered as she recognized her as her savior. "…aieee!!!" Her cheer suddenly turned into a scream as the leg holding her suddenly dipped closer to the ground.

"Jade!" Amy screamed as well, but she yelled in fear of their new friend falling to her death. Jumping onto the leg holding the human, she smashed at the joint until it started to crumble. "Get ready to jump!" She warned.

Jade wiggled as the leg started to flail wildly under Amy's attacks. She couldn't help but squeak in fear as she rode out this amusement park ride from hell. But as soon as the leg got close enough to the ground that she could make a safe jump, she took it and tried to roll like one was supposed to, but still landed badly. She didn't have time to moan and groan however because as soon as she landed, she heard Amy yell, "Jade, watch out!!" And she took off half running, half limping as the robot's leg landed with a loud bang behind her, nearly crushing her.

"All right!" Amy shouted out in triumph as she saw Jade move away unharmed. She then turned to face Eggman as he sat there turning red with his rage. She pointed at him with her hammer. "Get out of here Eggman! Before you make me hurt you!!"

"Amy, Amy, Amy. When will you ever learn? You can't hurt me!" Eggman growled as he lifted another of the five remaining robot legs lifted to strike at her.

As it did, the entire robot shook with the blasts from the Tornado as Tails swooped in to help. "Curse you Tails!" Eggman shouted up at him as he shook a fist.

Amy took the opportunity to try and strike at a different angle yet again.

Back on the ground, Jade had made her way to Sonic's side once again, fearing the worst after the state she had left him in, but he was standing. A bit shaky, but standing and was already moving towards the robot once again.

"Tails and Amy are handling it…" Jade started to argue once again, when one robotic leg suddenly managed to grab Amy in a crushing grip and the other managed to knock the Tornado off course and smoking.

Anger coursing through his veins, Sonic braced himself and shouted at the top of his lungs. "EGGMAN!!!!"

"Ohohoho. Someone sounds angry!!"

Jade saw something flash through Sonic's eyes that made her take a step back. He was definitely, deadly angry. But just as he took off running, a red blur appeared out of nowhere to zip right in front of the robot.

Before any of them could register what they were seeing, that same red blur drew back a fist and struck the robot so hard that it stumbled back. And continued to stumble back as the figure continued to assault it.

Amy screamed as she found herself in the same predicament that she had saved Jade from. The only thing was that this figure didn't seem to be concerned for her safety at all. It just kept attacking, and she was still being held at a dangerous height.

Suddenly, without warning or taking any precautions, the figure leaped into the air and struck the robot dead on, sending it flying back a few yards. But it was struck hard enough that it lost its grip on its victim and sent the pink hedgehog plummeting to the ground screaming.

The figure took off running in the direction of the robot, relentless in its attack, running past the spot that she was going to land. But Sonic was already halfway there. Just as she was about to land painfully, he leapt up to grab her, and unlike Jade, he did know how to roll to absorb the impact and brought her to safety.

"Sonic!!!" Amy cried out in relief as she was able to get up on her own, turning to give him her customary hug, but she stopped short.

Nearly wheezing, the blue hedgehog was shaking slightly as he let go of her so that he could once again get up. "Sonic?" She questioned worriedly as she grabbed his arm to support him.

He shook his head while holding a hand up, asking for a moment to try to compose himself. And as he tried to remember the fine art that was breathing normally, he kept an eye trained on the figure that was pummeling the robot.

He was pretty sure that it wasn't his oxygen deprived brain playing tricks on him, the only one who could have attacked with such ferocity could have only been…

"Knuckles!" Amy exclaimed in delight as the lone figure suddenly started walking towards them slowly as the robot behind him started smoking ominously, covering him in the fog.

"Knuckles." Sonic rasped in disbelief as he managed to smile. He should have known better. No way that stubborn echidna had allowed himself to become a victim. He must have gotten away and true to his nature, didn't worry about letting any of them know he was okay.

"Oh my god." Jade breathed. "It really is him!" She grinned. At last, it seemed like something was going their way.

The red echidna was only a few paces away from them when the robot suddenly exploded, sending a wave of heat, shrapnel, and rubble forward.

"Rejoice now, Sonic! But I will be back! And this city will be mine!" Eggman growled from his hovercraft that had detached from the robot as a safety precaution. That said, he shook his fist angrily as he took off to his hideout.

Sonic couldn't help but sag slightly in relief as his departure. Thank goodness Knuckles had come when he had.

The echidna finally stopped in front of them, but instead of looking smug as he normally would after defeating Eggman on his own, he looked deadly serious and stoic.

"I'm glad you are okay Knuckles!" Amy greeted him. "We thought those evil men had you!"

"Yeah lollipop, way to go on letting us know that you were all right!" Jade chided as she once again moved towards Sonic's side.

Knuckles remained quiet and merely stared at them, which unnerved the human veterinarian, but Amy merely frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, you could at least answer!"

Again he remained silent and this time Sonic was unnerved. Knuckles could be quiet, but he was never this quiet.

"Knuckles?" He questioned as he managed to straighten up. Everything swam around him, but he managed to focus on his friend.

Knuckles turned at the sound of his voice, but when he did, Sonic froze in place as he saw his friend's eyes. They were dead, lifeless, and it scared him.

"Knuckles?…What's wrong?" He asked again, hoping to snap him out of whatever it was since he seemed to be responding to him more than the two girls.

Calmly, slowly, the echidna walked towards him and stopped in front of him. "Sonic." He stated calmly as if reassuring himself that it was the hedgehog standing in front of him.

"What is with you?" Sonic repeated, tensing further and backing up a step, still unnerved by the echidna's odd behavior.

Knuckles blinked, and then drew back a fist, as Sonic's eyes widened with realization, before he punched him full force in the chest.

For the second time since Sonic had arrived at the downtown area, he was sent flying through the air to land yards away.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!?!" Jade shouted in immediate retaliation as she grabbed the echidna's arm to turn him around.

Knuckles merely shook her off. But he used enough force that he threw her back a few feet from him making her land painfully on her posterior.

"Knuckles!" Amy shouted in disbelief as she moved to Jade's side. She knew better than to try to grab his arms, but she didn't want to attack him either.

The echidna ignored them, as if they were just annoying gnats shouting his name, and stalked towards Sonic who was once again having a hard time recovering from the blow.

Almost mechanically, he bent down and grabbed the hedgehog's neck and lifted him up by it. Sonic's eyes bulged as the feeling of suffocation intensified and he struggled in his grip, gagging and pulling at his hand.

Drawing back another fist, the echidna let go with another powerful punch, sending the hedgehog rolling end over end. This time, as Sonic stopped moving with the blow, he did his best to move out of the way of the rampaging echidna.

Barely able to stand, Sonic stumbled and fell over many times as darkness no longer crept, but flashed in front of his eyes. "W-w-what did t-they do t-to y-you?" He slurred. It was obvious to him that Knuckles hadn't gotten away they way they had all hoped. This wasn't the Knuckles they knew and called friend. This, this was something else entirely.

Again the echidna didn't answer, he just continued to stalk forward, intent on killing his target.

"Stay away from him!!!" Amy shouted in pure rage as she charged at Knuckles, hammer held high over her head. She swung only once and missed. Knuckles dodged and swung around to grab her by her neck and threw her against the ground, making her head bounce with the impact, causing her to black out.

"No. No, no, no, no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jade shouted in aggravation as she watched the nightmare in front of her. Why was this happening?! Why!?

Sonic did his best to keep away from Knuckles. And now, he admitted to himself that it was time for a retreat. He was stubborn, not stupid. He'd taken too much abuse and the girls were in danger. It was aggravating, no matter where he stumbled, his old friend followed mechanically as if he were a toy robot that someone was controlling. He was calm and controlled as he stalked him, and Sonic definitely did not enjoy playing the part of prey.

Gathering his strength, and allowing the echidna to move ever closer to him, Sonic unleashed the strongest spin-dash he could manage. And it was aimed at the echidna's chest.

It was strong enough to send Knuckles skidding backwards and against a building with Sonic still spinning against him, now on the offensive.

Dropping out of the form to punch Knuckles in the face, Sonic managed to growl, "Snap out of it already!!"

His response was being shoved back, but not as forcibly as the move could have been since it seemed that the attack had dazed Knuckles for a moment. It was short lived as he then started to charge at the hedgehog, clearly enraged that his target had dared to strike back.

Sonic returned the charge, taking form to perform yet another spin-dash against his opponent.

Jade covered her mouth in fear as she watched the two friends battle each other needlessly. Sonic had somehow found the strength to fight back and she watched as he 'ping-ponged' off the buildings to dash against the echidna. In fact, by the way he was attacking, she was starting to believe that it was possible for her blue furry friend to win the fight.

But of course, the fates seemed to be against them. As Sonic charged once again, he suddenly stopped cold and doubled over. But other than being a prolonged attack, she watched in horror as his eyes simply rolled back into his head and he fell limp. It'd been too much. Too much abuse. His body simply couldn't fight for him anymore and she released a scream as if she had just witnessed a murder.

Especially since the hedgehog's limp form did not deter Knuckles from stalking over like a hungry predator and grabbing him yet again.

"Stop!!" She shouted as she started to sob. "Please, for the love of god, stop!!! You're going to kill him!!!!" She nearly snarled the last part as she moved over to the two. At this point she didn't care if the echidna hurt her again, she just wanted to save Sonic.

But Knuckles wasn't listening to her. He lifted one of his deadly fists again and was about to punch the hedgehog's prone form in the head, when he suddenly stopped and perked as he apparently heard something that Jade couldn't.

Without a word or a glance back, he stood from his crouch and walked towards the woods to disappear as easily as he had appeared.

"Where are you going?" The human veterinarian growled as he left her vision. "You bastard!!"

Silence greeted her as she cried and gently lifted Sonic into her arms. Her tears only intensified at his limpness and at the sight of Amy laying only a few feet away. "Oh, god." She sighed as she hugged the hedgehog close. And as she looked at his battered face, she kissed him on the forehead and strengthened her resolve.

"Don't worry guys, I'll get you home and patched up. You'll be fine." She told her two prone friends, mainly to reassure herself since they clearly couldn't hear her.

As she walked to the car, a terrified and childish voice from behind, stopped her. "J-Jade?!" Tails whispered in fear as he took in the scene around him and both of his friends' limp bodies. He had just managed to make his way back from the wreckage of the Tornado, that really wasn't much, but had been tossed far off course.

This eerie image was definitely not something he had been expecting to find.

"Tails, help me get Amy in the car." Was all Jade answered to the fear in his voice as she clutched onto Sonic as if he was a precious treasure. And to her, he was.

As they worked on getting their fallen friends into the car, more police officers and some tanks started to roll in thinking that the threat was still an issue and pleasantly surprised that it was just a clean up job. No one had any idea that a certain echidna was nearby, returning to his starting point like an obedient puppy.

"Good boy, red. Good boy." A man praised him as he led him deeper into the woods with the sunshine glinting off his glasses.


End file.
